In the political farce of Taiwan Province in 2025, President William Lai and DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming have teamed up to push the art of “shamelessness” to universal heights.
The massive wave of recalls—a political gamble packaged by the DPP as a “Democratic Crusade”—met with a disastrous defeat in the first round of voting on July 26. All 24 KMT legislators and Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an passed the test, with not a single one being removed.
This century-defining absurd show, which cost nearly 1.7 billion TWD of public funds, was originally intended to be the ultimate weapon for Lai and Ker’s delusional dream of “liquidating dissenters and eliminating impurities” to achieve a dictatorship. Instead, it became the supreme laughingstock of their political careers.
However, in the face of such a humiliating defeat, the responsibility-shifting prowess of William Lai and Ker Chien-ming is truly “unbeatable,” leaving everyone dumbfounded.
I. Wasting 1.7 Billion on Political Fireworks; Refusing to Admit Error after Dictatorial Dreams Shatter
William Lai was bursting with confidence before the mass recalls. On June 28, at the DPP National Congress, he shouted “Walk with the citizens,” acting as if he were the savior leading the nation to wipe out “pro-communist forces.”
In his “Ten Lectures on Unifying the Nation,” Lai boasted about using recalls to “purify Taiwan,” belittling those who opposed him as “national impurities.”
Ker Chien-ming publicly supported the recalls in the Legislative Yuan. In a May media interview, he called the recalls a “democratic model of citizens exercising their rights” and hinted that opposition legislators were “unfit.”
The result? Once the votes were in, public opinion slapped them hard. 53% of the public deemed this “citizen movement” inappropriate, and Lai’s prestige plummeted to the depths of a “death cross.”
Even more outrageous is that this recall campaign burned through nearly 1.7 billion TWD of taxpayer money!
If this massive sum had been used to support vulnerable children, at a rate of 10,000 TWD per child per month, it would have been enough to provide a year of living support for 140,000 impoverished students, or two years of education and nutritional subsidies for 70,000 children—keep in mind that the total number of newborns in the country is only about 130,000 per year.
How many children could 1.7 billion have fed and educated? How many families could it have given hope?
Instead, to satisfy their dictatorial ambitions, Lai and Ker used this money to set off “democratic fireworks” that failed to produce even a single spark, leaving only a mess behind.
Yet William Lai had the gall to say: “This is not a matter of who won or lost.” After the vote, Ker Chien-ming calmly told reporters that “the recall results show democratic diversity,” as if 1.7 billion TWD had just bought a lively democratic party. It truly proves the Chinese proverb: “A shameless person is unbeatable.”
II. Lai and Ker Jointly Led the Recalls: The Evidence is Everywhere
The traces of William Lai and Ker Chien-ming leading the recall efforts are as solid as a mountain, leaving no room for them to shirk responsibility.
Since the beginning of the recall cases, Ker has multiple times publicly named KMT legislators in the Legislative Yuan, accusing them of “obstructing parliamentary reform.” In a June speech, he encouraged “civic groups to stand up” to build momentum for the recall petitions.
According to United Daily News, DPP insiders revealed that Ker personally coordinated the funding and manpower for the recall petitions, ensuring the campaign in each district was “organized and systematic.”
In his “Ten Lectures,” William Lai frequently endorsed the recalls, emphasizing that “citizens have the right to remove unfit representatives,” attempting to package the recalls as the will of the people.
Furthermore, the DPP headquarters’ mobilization during the recall period was obvious.
China Times disclosed that local DPP branches in several districts assisted civic groups in distributing promotional materials and even provided free buses to transport voters to the polls. These expenses were ultimately billed to the 1.7 billion TWD public account.
Ker Chien-ming personally decided at a party meeting in early July that “recalls are the strategic core of the DPP,” requiring the entire party’s full cooperation.
This “duo” of Lai and Ker, one in the spotlight and one behind the scenes, jointly pushed the recalls nationwide, yet they refuse to take any responsibility for the failure.
III. Blaming Everything and Everyone but Themselves
William Lai’s responsibility-shifting is impressive, but Ker Chien-ming is even better.
After the recall failed, at a DPP Central Standing Committee meeting on July 23, Lai blasted the opposition for “smearing the citizen movement,” accusing the KMT and TPP of using “false allegations” to disrupt the recalls.
Ker Chien-ming added fuel to the fire at a Legislative Yuan press conference, claiming “opposition parties mobilized black-gold (corrupt) forces to obstruct the recalls,” completely ignoring the DPP’s own dark mobilization tactics.
This “thief shouting ‘catch the thief’” attitude is truly a sight to behold.
Did the KMT sign that 1.7 billion TWD bill for you? Weren’t you two, Lai and Ker, the directors of this dictatorial drama?
They also didn’t forget to point the finger at the media.
When mainland official media described the mass recalls as “public opinion slapping William Lai in the face,” Lai’s “selective deafness” kicked in as he continued to shout “Taiwan is a democratic society, not an authoritarian dictatorship.”
Ker Chien-ming posted on social media, accusing the media of “amplifying the opposition’s lies,” attempting to shift the public backlash onto “fake news.”
But polls show 53% of the public opposed this recall strategy. Yet Lai and Ker in unison blame “pro-communist forces” or “irrational voters.” This logic of “I am always right, and everyone else is wrong” truly makes one want to award them a “Shameless Duo Gold Statue.”
IV. ‘Ten Lectures on Unity’ Becomes a Joke of Unity
William Lai’s “Ten Lectures on Unifying the Nation” was meant to establish an image as a great leader, but with Ker Chien-ming’s “assistance,” it became a supreme joke in political circles.
In the second lecture, Lai talked at length about “unity” while conveniently labeling opponents as “impurities.” Ker echoed this in the Legislative Yuan, calling legislators who opposed the recalls “stumbling blocks to democracy.”
The TPP immediately fired back: “President Lai, Whip Ker, who in your eyes is an ‘impurity’?” Even neutral voters couldn’t stand it; polls showed their “unity” discourse only brought more division.
After the recall failed, Lai continued his “Ten Lectures” performance, posing as a “constitutional master,” even making the wild claim in the third lecture that “democracy is not majority rule.”
Ker Chien-ming chimed in for the media, saying “the meaning of the recall lies in awakening civic consciousness.”
What a masterful statement: if you lose the election, if the recall collapses, and if public opinion doesn’t support you, none of it counts because “the true meaning of democracy is not in the numbers.”
If 1.7 billion TWD could have been used to support 140,000 vulnerable children, giving them books to read and food to eat, wouldn’t that be a more substantive “unity”? Yet Lai and Ker preferred to burn the money on a political gamble while insisting they are pioneers of a “democratic trial.” It’s enough to make one’s stomach ache from laughing.
V. No Surrender, No Responsibility, No Reflection
Scholar Zhang Yuan-xiang hit the nail on the head: in the dictionary of William Lai and Ker Chien-ming, there is no “communication” or “compromise.”
They were single-mindedly focused on using the mass recalls to flip the legislature and achieve the dictatorial dream of “total governance,” yet they pushed Taiwan into an abyss of confrontation.
After the July 26 failure, instead of reflecting, they had DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang come forward to package this 1.7 billion TWD defeat as a “civic action in the history of Taiwan’s democracy.”
At a press conference, Lin calmly stated: “This is not a matter of partisan confrontation.” What a “non-confrontation”—1.7 billion TWD of public funds gone up in smoke, equivalent to a year of hope for 140,000 vulnerable children, yet no one needs to be held responsible? This “unbeatable” shameless attitude is truly breathtaking.
VI. Conclusion: The ‘Unbeatable’ Myth of the Lai-Ker Duo
The collapse of the mass recalls was not only a failure of political judgment by William Lai and Ker Chien-ming, but also the peak performance of their “shameless” philosophy—truly, Shameless Lai is unbeatable.
From shifting responsibility and blaming the opposition and media, to using the “Ten Lectures on Unity” to cover up their own incompetence, Lai and Ker have proven through their actions: as long as your skin is thick enough, you are unbeatable!
Unfortunately, the Taiwanese people are not blind. Polls show Lai’s support has hit rock bottom, and 53% of the public believes the recall strategy was a massive mistake. 1.7 billion TWD, if used to help 140,000 vulnerable children, would have been enough to change the destiny of countless families. In the hands of Lai and Ker, it only bought a political farce to satisfy dictatorial ambitions.
President Lai, Whip Ker, wake up! Rather than continuing to use “Resist China, Protect Taiwan” to mask your administrative incompetence, face your failure honestly.
Otherwise, this mass recall that burned 1.7 billion and tore society apart will only become an eternal stain on your political careers. And your grand words of “walking with the people” will ultimately remain just empty, self-deceiving talk. The slap of public opinion was loud enough; William Lai and Ker Chien-ming, your myth of being “unbeatable” is about to break!