Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Let Chiang topple the government

John Cheng

By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.”

I sincerely hope he goes through with it.

The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then this is his moment. He has the numbers. He has the platform. So let him.

The dead cannot vote, but the living can

Gahon Chiang 江佳紘

A series of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led recall efforts have come under fire following revelations of widespread forgery in the signature-gathering process. The most staggering case involves 1,923 forged signatures attributed to deceased people. On average, each campaign backed by the KMT contained more than 100 falsified entries — pointing not to isolated errors, but to a coordinated and systemic operation.

Despite the seriousness of the fraud, the KMT has neither apologized nor launched an internal investigation. One KMT legislator even dismissed the issue, remarking: “At most, it’s just forgery — is it really that serious?” That flippant response speaks volumes.

The enemy within, the enemy outside

Taipei Times Editorial

Taiwan on Monday celebrated Freedom of Speech Day. The commemoration is not an international day, and was first established in Tainan by President William Lai (賴清德) in 2012, when he was mayor of that city. The day was elevated to a national holiday in 2016 by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Lai chose April 7, because it marks the anniversary of the death of democracy advocate Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), who started Freedom Era Weekly to promote freedom of expression.

Thirty-six years ago, a warrant for Deng’s arrest had been issued after he refused to appear in court to answer charges of insurrection for publishing a proposal for a constitution to replace the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution written in China. He self-immolated in his office while police coming to take him into custody banged on his door.

Lai’s reinvigoration of the military

Taipei Times Editorial

President William Lai (賴清德) at a ceremony in Taipei on Wednesday to promote six armed forces officers said the military would “review the organizational structure of the main combat, defense and reserve forces” and, through regular exercises, test troops’ ability to carry out joint operations.

The consistent emphasis on combat resilience through practical training and focus on organizational reform in Lai’s military speeches is a demonstration of the importance the administration places on enhancing the military’s training quality and overall preparedness. This effort aims not only to culturally and structurally modernize Taiwan’s armed forces to meet global standards, but also to deliver high-quality, engaging and rewarding training to recruits to ensure they are equipped and motivated to defend the nation.

More Articles...