Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma makes mockery of rule of law

The Liberty Times Editorial

The ongoing case involving former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) deputy minister Chang Hsien-yao’s (張顯耀) alleged leaking of state secrets to China has flustered President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and caused public mistrust. In particular, the council and the national security apparatus have been criticized, and some more enlightened individuals have said they believe Ma should shoulder the political responsibility and make a public apology.

HK experience a warning for Taiwan

Taipei Times Editorial

China is nominally a communist state, but it calls its system “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The fact is that China’s economy is more of a free-market economy than many capitalist countries, which is in line with China’s system, where nothing is what it seems. The “democratic system” being implemented in Hong Kong and Macau, with candidates picked by Zhongnanhai for endorsement by the public in elections is another unique system with Chinese characteristics.

When Hong Kong and Macau were returned to China from the UK and Portugal respectively, China promised to implement a “one country, two systems” policy, and late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) famously promised Hong Kongers that its horse racing, dancing and stock markets would continue unchanged for 50 years, but less than 20 years after the handover, Hong Kong is a shadow of its former self.

Youth protesters pan rules for elections

Taipei Times

Young people outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday call for a constitutional amendment to cut the minimum ages for voting and standing for election from 20 and 23 respectively to 18.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times

A group of people under the age of 23 yesterday called for an amendment to the Constitution to allow political participation by younger people and panned the electoral system for blocking the economically vulnerable from running for office by requiring a security deposit.

More than a score of young people, with an average age of 19, protested outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday against restrictions that they said discriminate against youth political participation by setting the minimum voting age at 20 and the minimum candidate age at 23.

Activist groups rally behind HK protesters

Taipei Times

Front row left to right, Taiwan Association for China Human Rights chairman Yang Hsien-hung, New School for Democracy chairman Wang Dan, Taiwan Society for Democracy president Ku Chung-hwa, Taiwan Friends of Uighurs chairman Paul Lin and Taiwan Labour Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday calling for genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Taiwanese civil rights organizations yesterday rallied behind the people of Hong Kong in their pursuit of universal suffrage in 2017, as China sets limits on the vote for the election of the territory’s leader.

Local groups initiated a signature drive to show their support for pro-democracy activists who on Sunday vowed “an era of civil disobedience” in protest against Beijing’s decision to reject open nominations for candidates in the territory’s first direct leadership election in 2017.

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