The results of the mass recall are in, and not a single Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator lost their seat. Taiwanese voters have shown themselves to be principled citizens, but the results suggest that a civic awakening — or “spiritual reform,” to borrow a term from former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — remains insufficient.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) needs to reflect on this. “Spiritual reform” was the cornerstone of Lee’s governing philosophy, an idea that upholds civic virtues and promotes an unwavering consciousness of Taiwanese national identity.
He understood clearly that if a nation’s citizens could be easily swayed by short-term economic gains, they would likely flee in panic at the first sign of an invasion by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), rendering the country defenseless. He therefore promoted “spiritual reform” as a critical foundation for nation-building.
The name of the country is not what truly matters; without collective determination, even if Taiwan were officially renamed the Republic of Taiwan, it would not endure for long.
Ukraine’s circumstances are the result of a hasty charge for independence that lacked a thorough spiritual redress. Following Ukraine’s establishment of independence, pro-Russian politicians virtually handed the country over on a silver platter.
It was not until the Orange Revolution stirred public consciousness that Russia shifted tactics — co-opting politicians in the Donbas region to stage the farcical creation of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was initially more fluent in Russian than Ukrainian, and even once went to Russia to pursue a career in entertainment. However, when Russia invaded, he did not surrender nor yield a single city. Instead, he chose to lead his people in resolute resistance.
That resilience stemmed not from linguistic or regional identity, but from the awakening fostered by Ukraine’s “spiritual reform.”
Unwilling to accept Ukraine’s political injustices, Zelenskiy himself had created the television series Servant of the People. His trajectory from a comedian portraying a fictional president to becoming the leader of a nation at war exemplifies the transformative power of “spiritual reform.”
Likewise, the 2019 Hong Kong district council elections were a clear expression of the will and spirit of Hong Kongers. Historically, such elections were typically landslide victories for the CCP. However, in 2019, despite Beijing funneling vast resources toward petty handouts and the outright purchase of operatives carrying out its political will in the territory, CCP proxies were almost entirely swept out.
It was only then that the Hong Kong Government abruptly annulled the Sino-British Joint Declaration and enacted its national security legislation. Yet Hong Kongers abroad continue to flourish in Western countries.
After effective “spiritual reform,” even if the homeland is lost, the national spirit would endure until the nation is restored.
Alongside urgently strengthening national defense education in preparation for a potential war, Lee’s call for “spiritual reform” is more relevant than ever, and should form a crucial part of the nation’s ideological defense. To properly implement “spiritual reform,” media reform is equally indispensable. These matters demand serious attention. From my perspective, as a foreign observer, what has been accomplished thus far has been woefully inadequate.
Martin Oei, who is originally from Hong Kong, is a current affairs commentator residing in Germany with British citizenship.
Translated by Lenna Veronica Suminski
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