United Microelectronics Corp founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) has been the heart and soul of the mass recall movement. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators have continually abused their authority in a purposeful attempt to paralyze the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration. In response, Tsao stood up and led volunteers throughout the nation to promote the mass recall campaign. The money and effort he put forth, and the speeches he gave to inspire volunteers and citizens are truly admirable.
We are extremely grateful to Tsao for his words to recall volunteers on Saturday: “Although we suffered a temporary loss today, our efforts illustrated our nobility and strength... It is because of people like us that there will come a day ... when Taiwan will forever become a nation of freedom, a homeland of the brave.”
The first round of recall voting did not succeed and the upcoming recall election on Aug. 23 is sure to be even more difficult. The road for Taiwan’s democratic movement is long and arduous, and requires effort and cooperation from all.
Division and conflict within the recall movement is exactly what the KMT hopes to see. This is why Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), former chairman of Broadcasting Corp of China, accused Tsao of initiating the recall and then abandoning it. The civil society groups supporting the recall movements in the remaining seven districts are persevering, so Tsao should continue to play the role of the recall movement’s leader.
We would like to thank Tsao for his sacrifice, and we sincerely hope for his continued leadership of the mass recall movement.
Lee Yung-ming is an associate professor in the department of aerospace and systems engineering at Feng Chia University.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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