Hijacking victimhood
In any functioning democracy, being in the opposition does not grant you immunity from the law — nor does it entitle you to hijack the language of victimhood. Yet that is precisely what the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is doing.
If KMT members are under investigation for signature forgery in recall petitions, the right response is to cooperate with the legal process — not to throw tantrums in the streets. Instead, the KMT has chosen to weaponize the word “persecution” as if being investigated is the same as being oppressed. It is not. Investigations are not convictions. If they are innocent, let the courts say so, but wrapping oneself in the persecution flag to evade accountability is political cowardice — and an insult to real victims of political oppression.
Worse still is KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) reckless accusation that President William Lai (賴清德) is “becoming a dictator.” That is not political rhetoric — that is character assassination masquerading as protest. Calling someone a dictator is not a slogan you get to wave around when the legal process does not go your way. It is a charge that, in a democracy, must be backed by evidence — not bitterness. If the KMT believes the president has crossed a constitutional line, they should take it to court, not to a megaphone.
Where exactly was this outrage when Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) appointee Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), a former aide of then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), was arrested and detained for spying for China? Did the DPP scream political persecution then? No. It took swift and sober action, because national security and rule of law matter more than party loyalty.
The KMT’s circus-like pressure campaign on the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is not only unbecoming — it is dangerous. Undermining judicial independence for political drama corrodes the very democratic norms they claim to defend. At a time when Taiwan faces mounting threats from across the Strait, the last thing the country needs is a party more committed to stirring internal division than defending national unity.
In truth, what the KMT is doing is not resistance — it is regression. It is a cynical attempt to cast themselves as martyrs while distracting from potential wrongdoing — but this is not theater.
This is Taiwan’s democracy, and they should treat it with the respect it deserves. If not, they expose themselves not as defenders of democracy, but as opportunists willing to burn the house down just because they are not holding the keys.
John Cheng
Taichung
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS