A coalition of young people joined by civic groups gathered outside the legislature yesterday to protest Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) speaker nominee Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who was elected later in the day.
Holding placards with the slogans: “We oppose the pro-China speaker” and “Refuse the Chinese Communist Party agent,” the protesters convened at Chelam Presbyterian Church at the legislature’s southwest corner, due to enhanced security and traffic controls on the first day of new legislative term.
Former Kaohsiung Medical University Student Union chair Kao Fan-hsi (高凡璽) led the protest, together with representatives from the Green Party Taiwan, Taiwan Young Greens, Su Beng Education Foundation, Taiwan 228 Care Association and several university student organizations.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, REUTERS
Speaking to reporters, Kao said that he and other young activists are taking up the torch of the 2014 Sunflower movement, which is becoming a faded memory a decade on.
“But its spirit has not disappeared, as citizens mobilize in the street to protest decisions made by legislators that go against the people’s wishes,” he said. “Now we are picking up the movement to express the people’s anger against the maneuvering by political parties to install the pro-China Han to lead the legislature.”
“Han is the man approved by the Chinese government, and with him in the speaker’s chair, the outside world will view Taiwanese as choosing a pro-China stance, which could result in Taiwan again becoming the ‘Orphan of Asia,’” he said.
Kao reminded people that Han served three terms as a KMT legislator from 1993 to 2002, during which he “attacked fellow legislators, assaulting people during legislative meetings.”
“Han at the time admitted to frequent drinking and gambling,” Kao said. “He was absent most of the time, and had the lowest attendance record among all legislators.”
Kao said that he also missed meetings with foreign dignitaries and reneged on many promised policies when serving as Kaohsiung mayor from 2018 to 2020.
Police attempted to evict the demonstrators resulting in brief scuffles in the morning, but they refused to move citing unlawful police action against the right of assembly, and that authorities must not infringe against freedom of religion since they were on church grounds. The groups later dispersed peacefully.
Separately, the Taiwan Republic Office and pro-independence activists hung banners across the road with slogans reading: “Han Kuo-yu as legislative speaker opens the gate for the Chinese Communist Party.”
“When the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers vote for Han, they become partners in crime with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). It is because Han has vowed to uphold the principles of so-called ‘1992 consensus,’ which renders Taiwan as part of China,” organization director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) told reporters.
“In recent weeks, Chinese state media has lavishly praised Han as a politician, and supports his candidacy,” Chen said.
“Han operates under the ‘one China’ mindset, so it will mean terminating most of Taiwan’s foreign affairs intiatives and new links with European nations in the past years,” Chen said. “Instead, we can expect Han to warmly welcome visits by Chinese officials.”
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