The so-called “leadership” of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) continues to swear allegiance to former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), with some party members even welling up with tears at the mention of his name.

Meanwhile, they seem to have utterly abandoned the spirit of the party that he led. While they criticize President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), they turn their back on Chiang.

Mention of Chiang might well cause KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to tear up; KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) might well get indignant when the Sun Yat-sen Scholarship is threatened; former KMT legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), who studied under former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), is a political maverick; former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊), raised and educated in Taiwan, was forever deferential to Beijing during his stint in office; the pro-China media here, under Chiang Ching-kuo’s protection when he was alive, were meant to be against the communists. All of them have turned their back on him.

Burkina Faso cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan is hardly comparable to the US switching recognition to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

It is perfectly reasonable to ask the government at what point it was informed about Burkina Faso’s decision, but neither Wu nor Johnny Chiang were qualified to lambast Tsai for selling lychees online prior to the announcement. It was as ridiculous as criticizing Chiang Ching-kuo for being asleep when the US was just about to break off ties with the Republic of China.

Ou betrayed his disingenuousness when he criticized Tsai by saying: “If you’re so capable, then why not seek independence? If you’re not capable and you lose, blaming others is useless.”

He has clearly forgotten how the KMT had mobilized the China Youth Anti-Communist National Salvation Corps or how, when then-US deputy secretary of state Warren Christopher came to Taipei to deliver the news that the US was “normalizing ties” with the PRC, his motorcade was attacked, or how Chiang Ching-kuo had reiterated the party’s position to never enter into talks with the illegitimate regime of the “communist bandits,” and to never compromise on its anti-communist stance.

Tsai’s foreign policy focuses on powerful nations and neighbors concerned with Taiwan’s survival, and strengthening ties with the US — something that Chiang Ching-kuo always strove for, but could not achieve.

By contrast, Ting, who aspired to be Taipei mayor, likened the Taiwanese to dogs, saying that Taiwan should not stoop to being the US’ guard dog in the region. His allusion is more than a little reminiscent of Mao Zedong (毛澤東) talking of “American imperialism and its running dog Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).”

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (汪洋), chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, picked the day that Burkina Faso cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan to spout off to the pro-China media, telling them to “be on the side of history ... oppose the Taiwanese independence secessionists, and tell the story of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait being of one family.”

His audience did not quite know how to respond, other than by furiously taking notes. Really, what function do media such as these have?

Were the 10 KMT lawmakers who met China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) on Friday last week, and sat obediently while he vowed to step up efforts to push for “unification of the motherland” with “Taiwanese compatriots,” thinking of their allegiance to Chiang Ching-kuo?

Who is leading whom?

James Wang is a media commentator.

Translated by Paul Cooper


Source: Taipei Times - Editorials 2018/06/06

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