The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the government of becoming increasingly intolerant of different opinions in its response to COVID-19.
Speaking at an online news conference from the party’s headquarters in Taipei, KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) compared the government’s COVID-19 response to a “dictatorship.”
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration “is becoming more and more autocratic and intolerant of diverse voices,” she said.
The resignation of Academia Sinica academician Chen Pei-jer (陳培哲) from the vaccine review committee was “the best proof” of that, she said.
She was referring to remarks by Chen, who on Monday said that he had resigned late last month because he felt the committee would have trouble staying neutral when reviewing domestic vaccine candidates.
Chen added that the major challenge to staying neutral came from “President Tsai herself” after she said that a locally developed COVID-19 vaccine was expected to be available late next month.
Other people have in the past been attacked by Democratic Progressive Party-friendly commentators for holding different opinions from the government, Wang said.
‘ECHO CHAMBER’
“The Tsai administration has really become an echo chamber,” Wang said, urging the president to rein in the attacks against Chen.
Tsai had told the public early on that people would be able to receive domestically manufactured vaccines by the end of next month, Wang said.
With the announcement, it has become useless for members of the review committee to express opposing views, because Tsai had already “ordered” that domestic vaccines should be available next month, she said.
The purpose of having a review committee is to give professionals an independent platform to express their opinions truthfully without coming under political pressure, Wang said.
Only when committee members are willing to do so can the public trust the safety and efficacy of the vaccines approved by the committee, she said.
If different opinions cannot be raised faithfully, the public might have doubts about the safety and efficacy of domestic vaccines, she added.
The issue of domestic vaccines is a professional and scientific one, and should not be subject to political interference, Wang said.
She added that the KMT supports the development and use of domestic vaccines whose safety and effectiveness have been fully verified.
NEVER HEARD?
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said on Monday evening that the Presidential Office was not aware of either Chen’s appointment or resignation as a member of the vaccine review committee.
Even though Chen has recently expressed different views, the office fully respects his right to speak, Chang said, calling Chen’s statements “puzzling and regrettable.”
The government has on several occasions expressed its position that the process of developing and manufacturing any vaccine must follow a rigorous scientific procedure, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or