Kuomintang

Megaport Music Festival Falls Victim to Political Persecution by Han Kuo-yu

Brian Hioe
The Megaport Music Festival, likely Taiwan’s largest indie rock festival, announced earlier this month that the festival would be coming to an end after sixteen years. It is widely known that the festival, which is traditionally held in Kaohsiung, is shutting down due to pressure from Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu of the KMT... Read More
EnglishSeptember 2019Social MovementsYouth Movements0 Comments 06 min read

Annette Lu Unexpectedly Enters the Presidential Race, While Gou and Ko Withdraw

Brian Hioe
FoxConn CEO Terry Gou surprised yesterday with an announcement that he would not be running in 2020 presidential elections, with Taipei mayor Ko wen-je stating earlier today in the wake of Gou's announcement that he also would not be running. Today, September 17th, was the deadline for registering with the Central Election Commission as an independent candidate. In the meantime, in the pan-Green camp, the Formosa Alliance has unexpectedly announced plans to run Annette Lu as their presidential candidate... Read More
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20190 Comments 013 min read

As the NPP’s Internal Crisis Continues, the DPP Takes Steps to Promote Young People Within the Party

Brian Hioe
The internal crisis of the NPP continues, with elements of the party leadership seemingly still uncommitted to endorsing Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP in 2020 presidential elections and continuing to flirt with the idea of nominating former chair Huang Kuo-chang as the NPP’s presidential candidate. These primarily seem to be older members of the NPP, suggesting an inability to overcome generational inertia in the NPP. In the meantime, the DPP is increasingly taking steps to run young candidates in 2020 elections and appointing young people to high positions within the party... Read More
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20190 Comments 09 min read

Challenges Remain to Uncovering the Truth Behind White Terror Incidents

Brian Hioe
The long path for transitional justice to be achieved in Taiwan is evident in the challenges faced by efforts to bring the truth of major incidents during the White Terror to light. President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to do so in July through declassifying the files of the National Security Bureau and other institutions of the ROC state that carried out political persecutions on behalf of the KMT during the authoritarian period... Read More
August 2019EnglishPolitics0 Comments 06 min read

Ambiguity Continues Regarding 2020 Presidential Election Candidates

Brian Hioe
An abortive alliance between Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, former KMT majority speaker Wang Jinpyng, and FoxConn CEO Terry Gou seems to have sputtered out, following comments by Ko in which he denigrated the other two before a planned meeting that was to take place last Sunday. Although unlikely, talk is also on the rise of the KMT potentially replacing Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu as its presidential candidate in 2020 elections, with the KMT demonstrating some unusual splits regarding Han... Read More
August 2019EnglishPolitics0 Comments 07 min read

In Midst of the NPP’s Continuing Internal Crisis, Sabrina Lim Announces Run for Party Chair

Brian Hioe
Huang Kuo-chang, one of the NPP's two remaining legislators and the party’s former chair, suggested earlier this week that he will not run for reelection as legislator, a move that has led to criticisms with the view that this would lose another legislative seat for the NPP. With it becoming increasingly clear that younger members of the party—who are primarily city councilors and in their 20s and early 30s—will have to take over the party leadership if it is to survive, Taipei city councilor Sabrina Lim announced her plans to run for party chair earlier today... Read More
August 2019EnglishSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements0 Comments 011 min read