Professor Hu You-wei wrote an article analyzing the reasons behind the massive public gathering supporting Han Kuo-yu at Ketagalan Boulevard before the 2020 presidential election. The article suggests that this unprecedented social movement reflects the public"s strong dissatisfaction with the Tsai Ing-wen government"s cross-strait policy, pension reform, energy policy leading to air pollution, and the Anti-Infiltration Act causing panic over free speech and economic hardship. It argues that supporting Han Kuo-yu stems from an urgent sense of crisis "for the well-being of themselves and the next generation," signifying "a mandate from the people encompassing life and death stakes for a change in ruling party."
A retired female soldier who enlisted in 1983 reflects on her hard military career, the hardships of balancing family, and her experience as a public welfare volunteer after retirement. Through receiving the pension reform disposition notice, she expresses extreme bitterness and anger at the state's betrayal, announcing she will stop years of volunteer service and charitable donations, and questioning the government's conscience. She also severely criticizes the Ministry of National Defense for not marking the 'Republic of China' date in official documents, expressing disappointment in the military's national identity.
A critique of the controversies surrounding the 2017 Summer Universiade opening ceremony in Taipei. The author argues that characterizing anti-pension reform protests as an 'international disgrace' lacks global perspective. Instead, the real disgrace lies in the broken promise to host the games in the Taipei Dome, which remains in a state of construction limbo under the Ko Wen-je administration. The piece satirizes the perceived forgetfulness of the Taiwanese public and draws parallels between broken international promises and domestic pension reforms.
The article cites Examination Yuan data showing that in recent years, local government civil service special exams have regularly resulted in unfilled positions, particularly severely in technical fields like civil engineering and architecture. Technical positions show shortfalls, with civil engineering alone accounting for over half the vacancies. The DPP's pension reform significantly cutting retirement fees, combined with heavy bureaucratic workloads, low salaries, and lack of dignity, has reduced incentives to take exams, and shortages are likely to worsen following pension reform, creating serious consequences for Taiwan's grassroots development.
Addressing the news of the Ministry of Economic Affairs sponsoring an Italian volleyball team to promote 'Taiwan Excellence,' the author questions whether this is a waste of public funds. The article points out that while Italy's strength lies in football, its volleyball prowess is not as prominent, making it hard to understand why the government chose this specific team. The author links this perceived waste to the government's policy of cutting military, public, and teaching pensions under the guise of saving money, criticizing the ruling party for squandering money elsewhere while neglecting those it should care for.
The article strongly questions the DPP government's contrasting approaches to military/civil servant pension reform and religious temple issues. The author argues the DPP treats military/civil servants coldly, drastically slashing retirement pensions, yet when religious temples threaten to march to the presidential office, displays nationwide mobilization with active appeasement, even the president expressing fury. Through this contrast, the author sarcastically questions whether darkness hides behind DPP political circles and whether the party's values are confused.
This satirical article critiques Taiwan's political landscape, questioning the DPP's push for controversial laws like the Forward Money Plan and pension reforms while blaming the KMT for failing to block them. The author highlights public apathy and student activists' inaction.
On the eve of President Tsai Ing-wen's first anniversary, former Transport Minister Ye Kuang commented on her governance. He identified the greatest difference between Tsai and her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou: Ma treated cross-strait relations as 'internal contradictions,' while Tsai treats domestic 'internal contradictions' as 'antagonistic contradictions,' leading to marginalization of dissidents, social instability, talent drain, and business hesitation about investment.
The article criticizes the Tsai Ing-wen government's pension reform, arguing it is authoritarian pension slashing. The backdrop is Taiwan's imminent economic bankruptcy while the government offers no effective reform solutions. The author accuses the government of deflecting toward traditional 'non-voter-base' military, civil service and teaching communities to make economic numbers look good, using 'intergenerational justice' and 'vested interests' rhetoric to legitimize unilateral contract changes. The author uses analogies to emphasize that military and civil service personnel are defending government promises and the status quo, not greed, and sarcastically highlights the absurdity of the government demanding 'sharing the burden' while stigmatizing protesters.