When Will Taiwan Awaken? The KMT Leech Has Always Been at Your Throat? Part II, the Past

Saturday March 21, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

The recent scandals of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) loyalists Diane Lee and Kuo Kuan-ying's exploitation of Taiwan are mere tips of the iceberg. Collecting steady, paychecks from the nation, they nevertheless have shown little loyalty and/or respect for its people by their actions. This is however a simple continuation of the KMT history of past exploitation. The more classic example is the thousands of KMT members who had held "iron rice bowl" positions in the Legislative Yuan and National Assembly from 1947 up until their forced retirement in the early 1990s. Elected once in 1947, they never faced elections again; all also drawing comfortable paychecks until death or their final forced retirement.

True that abuse has finally ended but the KMT generations that profited by it continue to enjoy those benefits. Scroll down to the entry for February 27th on this site and reread the article on the "Sins of Their Fathers."

That is not all. As has been said, it is simply the tip of the iceberg. Then there is the un-level political playing field that the KMT has created for itself. This includes the "stolen state assets" seized by the KMT and legitimized under their nearly half a century of one-party state rule.

KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung recently admitted that the party still has some 27 billion NT$ in assets and that the party needs at least 2 billion NT$ for its annual budget. 2 billion NT$ for its annual budget, just what is that money spent on? All other political parties in Taiwan have combined assets that are less than one billion NT$ and the KMT needs 2 billion NT$ for its annual budget? Who is on that payroll? What votes are being bought with that money? When will Taiwan awaken, the KMT leech has always been at its throat.

The leech remains. In the past 2008 Legislative Yuan election the KMT received 53 per cent of the party vote and yet because of gerrymandering and special district planning, the KMT got 72 per cent of the party seats in the Legislative Yuan. With only 53 per cent of the party vote, the KMT garnered 72 per cent of the party seats for members like Diane Lee.

Are there problems today in Taiwan? The KMT and its Pan-blue alliance have always maintained the majority in the Legislative Yuan from its one-party state days up to the present. The leech remains. Another area that needs historical examination is all the personal Taiwanese businesses and properties that have been seized during the near half-century of KMT one party state rule.

Tomorrow, however, we will look at the Miaoli election. Is it a glimmer of hope?