Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), former chairman of Broadcasting Corp of China and leader of the “blue fighters,” recently announced that he had canned his trip to east Africa, and he would stay in Taiwan for the recall vote on Saturday. He added that he hoped “his friends in the blue camp would follow his lead.”
His statement is quite interesting for a few reasons. Jaw had been criticized following media reports that he would be traveling in east Africa during the recall vote. While he decided to stay in Taiwan after drawing a lot of flak, his hesitation says it all: If the level of enthusiasm of a “deep-blue” figure like him has fallen so much, that speaks volumes of the popularity of these Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators among their constituents.
As an old hand, Jaw must have known how prominent being a leader of the “blue fighters” is. If not even he could be bothered to vote, KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) would not be the only casualty; many more would be dethroned, especially “blue fighters” such as KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯). They might seem like a coherent gang, but they flee when they catch a whiff of a threat.
If KMT legislators like Lo are confident about holding on to their seats, Jaw could have just gone on vacation. In other words, Jaw’s reversal must have been informed by Lo’s uncertainty, and he chose to drop his travel plans as a result. In the event of Lo’s defeat, Jaw’s public statement might save him from becoming the whipping boy and a total bankruptcy of his political power within the blue camp.
When Jaw said he hoped “his friends in the blue camp would follow his lead,” he must have known that many of them would not vote; they have already booked their flights and would rather follow their schedules. If that was not the case, then who would he be calling on?
Huang Wei-ping works in public service.
Translated by Cayce Pan
The cancelation this week of President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visit to Eswatini, after the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius revoked overflight permits under Chinese pressure, is one more measure of Taiwan’s shrinking executive diplomatic space. Another channel that deserves attention keeps growing while the first contracts. For several years now, Taipei has been one of Europe’s busiest legislative destinations. Where presidents and foreign ministers cannot land, parliamentarians do — and they do it in rising numbers. The Italian parliament opened the year with its largest bipartisan delegation to Taiwan to date: six Italian deputies and one senator, drawn from six
Recently, Taipei’s streets have been plagued by the bizarre sight of rats running rampant and the city government’s countermeasures have devolved into an anti-intellectual farce. The Taipei Parks and Street Lights Office has attempted to eradicate rats by filling their burrows with polyurethane foam, seeming to believe that rats could not simply dig another path out. Meanwhile, as the nation’s capital slowly deteriorates into a rat hive, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection has proudly pointed to the increase in the number of poisoned rats reported in February and March as a sign of success. When confronted with public concerns over young
Taiwan and India are important partners, yet this reality is increasingly being overshadowed in current debates. At a time when Taiwan-India relations are at a crossroads, with clear potential for deeper engagement and cooperation, the labor agreement signed in February 2024 has become a source of friction. The proposal to bring in 1,000 migrant workers from India is already facing significant resistance, with a petition calling for its “indefinite suspension” garnering more than 40,000 signatures. What should have been a straightforward and practical step forward has instead become controversial. The agreement had the potential to serve as a milestone in
China has long given assurances that it would not interfere in free access to the global commons. As one Ministry of Defense spokesperson put it in 2024, “the Chinese side always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to countries under international law.” Although these reassurances have always been disingenuous, China’s recent actions display a blatant disregard for these principles. Countries that care about civilian air safety should take note. In April, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) canceled a planned trip to Eswatini for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation and the 58th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic
RSS