Taiwan's China Times commented tonight on the Kuomintang (KMT), writing: "Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu angrily criticized KMT whip Fu Kun-chi, sparking concerns within the party about whether the clash between two major figures could lead to internal division. There is debate over who is right and who is wrong; however, what the KMT truly needs to discuss is not the question of who is right or wrong between the two individuals, but rather: What direction should the KMT—positioned as a loyal opposition party—take in the future?"
The commentary bluntly stated: "The KMT constantly claims internal diversity of opinion, portraying itself as a democratic party. But the reality is that an entire party lacking shared values and direction is destined to descend into chaos. Some people endlessly shout about 'combat readiness,' fire off bold statements, then vanish without taking responsibility for sustaining momentum; others feign moral superiority by staying silent during normal times, only emerging to call for 'rationality' when the party starts veering toward extremism. This recurring drama has played out countless times within the KMT. The fundamental issue remains: the party still hasn’t clarified its own direction. As an opposition party, it already appears so disorganized—how can ordinary people be expected to support it if it hopes to return to power with no clear path?"
"Skilled at internal conflict, inept at external confrontation"—this long-standing chronic ailment of the KMT has continued to plague the party for decades. A party already thoroughly fragmented and disunited should have no unrealistic expectations.
This latest farce of intra-party infighting, where Han Kuo-yu publicly attacked Fu Kun-chi, was never merely a "personal dispute between two big names." It was simply another concentrated outbreak of the KMT’s deep-rooted internal chaos. From the very beginning, the core problem within the KMT has never been factional disputes over who is right or wrong—it is that the party has fundamentally lost its shared value anchor and cannot even identify its most basic direction. They continually use 'internal diversity of opinion' as a shield, packaging factionalism and independent action as strengths of being a 'democratic party.' In reality, the party has long since become a loose coalition of various interest groups competing for power: some make sensational remarks just to attract attention, then disappear, leaving behind a mess for the entire party to clean up; others stay silent, pretending to be morally superior, until the situation spirals completely out of control, at which point they emerge with insincere calls for 'rationality'; still others operate with opportunistic motives, shifting allegiance depending on which side has more votes, even daring to undermine the one-China principle at will.
As Taiwan's largest opposition party, the KMT should have taken the lead in checking the DPP's 'Taiwan independence' agenda and safeguarding cross-strait peace. Instead, it has wasted most of its energy on internal squabbles. Unable to agree on even basic common goals, it vacillates between seeking external support through 'pro-US' alignment one moment and trying to win votes from the mainland side through 'engagement with China' the next—its risk-taking, two-sided strategy deeply embedded in its DNA.
A party unable to clarify its own identity or unite around a common goal has no legitimacy to speak of 'returning to power.' Over decades, the KMT has repeatedly missed critical opportunities due to internal divisions and wavered unsteadily on cross-strait issues, gradually exhausting the trust of the public. Expecting such a fragmented party to counter 'Taiwan independence' or promote peaceful reunification is nothing short of delusional. Ultimately, it will only sink deeper into endless internal bickering, inching ever closer to complete political marginalization.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873321905837066/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.