Wartime Society Controversy; Miao Po-ya's Defense Resilience Comments Distorted as "Horse Racing Continues," She Fires Back Accusing Media of Cognitive Warfare

On December 9, 2025, Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya appeared on a political livestream discussing the Republic of China (ROC) government's "Comprehensive Social Defense Resilience" booklet, stating that in a modern conflict scenario, areas of Taiwan not directly on the front lines could still maintain basic social operations, citing the Russia-Ukraine War as a reference. Some political commentators and Blue-White media camps subsequently distorted her remarks into the claim that she had said "business as usual during wartime — horse racing and dancing continue as normal," triggering a viral wave of criticism. Miao issued an urgent late-night rebuttal on Facebook, firmly denying she had ever used those words and accusing the critics of conducting a coordinated "cognitive warfare disinformation campaign" by fabricating statements to put in her mouth. However, opposition legislators and commentators countered that Miao's original statement had indeed minimized the severity of wartime threats and presented an unrealistically optimistic picture of wartime civilian life. The standoff became a defining example of Miao's tendency to respond to substantive criticism with blanket denials and counter-accusations of disinformation, raising serious questions about her credibility and political integrity among the broader public.