President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, yesterday went on the offensive, aiming to boost support for the party in the Nov. 29 elections, charging that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has hindered the nation’s progress.
In his speech at the KMT national congress held in Chiayi City, Ma accused the DPP of trampling on the democratic spirit of majority decisionmaking by occupying the podium at the Legislative Yuan 92 times over the past six years, preventing bipartisan dialogue and engaging in what he termed endless boycotts.
“This attitude of extreme conceit bent on excluding outsiders, humiliating officials and playing games with specific bills is the biggest crisis Taiwan currently faces,” Ma said.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Ma said the DPP used violent tactics that would not help solve any of the nation’s problems, adding that if the opposition party truly “loved Taiwan” as it said, it should cease actions that lead to infighting and wasting resources.
“Return to the true path of democracy and persuade the people with civilized conduct,” Ma said.
The public’s loyalty to the system far exceeds the interests of any political party, or concerns over an individual candidate’s success or failures at elections, Ma said, adding that such was the value of Taiwanese democracy and why the governments and people of the world have praised the nation for its peaceful transition of government.
Photo: CNA
Ma said that the DPP used “all sorts of reasons” to malign the rightful power of government accorded to the KMT by the Constitution and are attempting to bully the majority into submitting to the will of the few. Ma then accused the DPP of abusing its role as the opposition party.
Appealing to voters for support in the Nov. 29 elections, Ma said “The KMT is a party local to Taiwan, it is progressive and forward-looking, practical and responsible, and it is a diverse party that is willing to embrace changing times.”
Ma said that people spread across Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu might have come from different places and have different histories, but the acceptance of multicultural society is what makes Taiwan precious.
“The Aborigines may believe in ancestral spirits and rainbow bridges, the earlier Han immigrants remember the sadness inherent in their relocation to Taiwan, the people following the Nationalist government to Taiwan in 1949 remembered having to leave their homes and families behind, while the newer immigrants — such as foreign spouses — have the hope that over time this land will become their home,” Ma said, adding that “no matter who came first, no matter where we had come from, we are now all Taiwanese.”
“On this land, people of any culture and ethnicity are welcome to work side by side, to sweat and toil over the common goal of making Taiwan better; the embracing of multiple diverse cultures is the cornerstone of democracy,” he said.
“We are the most localized of all political parties,” Ma said, adding that “any supporter of the KMT would be able to walk tall and say: ‘I’m Taiwanese, I support the KMT.’”
In his speech, Ma also enumerated what the KMT has accomplished at the local, county and national levels.
The party’s members promoted competition capability for cities, encouraged the birth rate and introduced new vitality in business sectors through finding new investors, as well as increasing the number of jobs in cities where KMT members governed.
“We are telling the public by our actions and achievements that the KMT is better than the DPP at local government,” Ma said.
Additional reporting by CNA
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS