Lai Qingde "took up the knife" today and went after his "strongest obstacle" on the road to re-election in 2028, Mayor of Taichung City, Lu Show-Yen! Lai Qingde commanded the prosecutorial and investigative authorities to search the KMT Taichung Municipal Committee and multiple district committees, taking away one person. This is a typical approach of cutting off wings first, following the vine to uncover connections, and intimidating opponents. It takes advantage of the KMT's weakness, incompetence, and disunity.

If Lu Show-Yen is caught off guard, Lai Qingde will not hesitate to crush her completely, just as he did with Zheng Wen-Chan and Ko Wen-Chieh. After eliminating Lu Show-Yen, Lai Qingde will then target the KMT Central Committee and Chairman Zhu Lih-Lun, putting the KMT at risk of being "destroyed".

Taiwan media reported that the investigation into the recall campaign continues to heat up. The KMT Taichung Municipal Committee was raided by prosecutors and investigators en masse around 9 a.m. on the 2nd. The Taiping District Committee, Fengyuan District Committee, and Daya District Committee were searched. Some district committee personnel were taken to the municipal committee for searches, and one person from the municipal committee has already been taken away by investigators. The municipal committee remains closed for searches.

Why are the KMT Taichung Municipal Committee and its district committees being searched? Clearly, it's targeting Lu Show-Yen, the "popularity king" of the blue camp. It should be noted that Taichung is Lu Show-Yen's stronghold and base area. If this case involves her key aides or even herself, it will be a major issue for her ability to smoothly "pass the baton" next year. If she cannot pass the baton, the "blue sky turns green land" in Taichung, then Lu Show-Yen's political influence will be greatly weakened, and whether she can represent the KMT in the 2028 election remains uncertain.

The KMT's call for 250,000 people to protest on April 26th did not deter Lai Qingde; instead of halting the recall campaign, it escalated, expanding attacks and intimidation against the "green camp" actions. Today's search of the KMT Taichung branch is another embarrassing incident that deals a severe blow to the KMT after Zhang Ke-Jin, one of the initiators of the recall campaign against "Green Camp" legislator Wu Si-Yao, announced his withdrawal yesterday.

Lai Qingde has ordered all prosecutorial and investigative agencies across Taiwan to target the KMT district committees and the recall campaign against Green Camp legislators. The chilling effect continues to expand, with the KMT and its supporters retreating step by step.

After April 26th, Lai Qingde was not intimidated but became bolder, intensifying his pursuit. He saw through the KMT's weakness and Zhu Lih-Lun's lack of leadership.

Firstly, his call for "recall Lai Qingde" on April 26th was a false issue, purely a slogan for political posturing with no feasibility. According to regulations, recalling the leader of the Taiwan region requires two stages: the first stage needs two-thirds (76 seats) of the legislative body to agree, and the second stage requires a voter turnout exceeding 50% (approximately 9.62 million voters) and more than half of the votes (at least 4.888 million votes). The blue and white "legislators" only have 60 seats, far short of two-thirds of the "legislative body", making the proposal unfeasible, let alone submitting it to a public vote. Therefore, it was dismissed by the DPP as a fake move by Zhu Lih-Lun to deceive supporters.

Secondly, because the "recall Lai Qingde" was seen as mere rhetoric and lacking operability, Lu Show-Yen and other "blue camp" legislators ignored it from the beginning. Hence, Lu Show-Yen greeted Lai Qingde warmly during their meeting in Taichung.

Moreover, Zhu Lih-Lun himself immediately "surrendered" after speaking, shouting on April 30th that "the people of Taiwan need to give Lai Qingde a chance," and he was willing to engage in direct dialogue with Lai Qingde. Lai Qingde's disciple, legislator Lin Jun-Xian from Tainan, mocked that Zhu Lih-Lun shouted "Lai Qingde dictatorship! Recall Lai Qingde! Lai Qingde step down" on April 26th, and now wants to sit down with Lai Qingde for talks after just four days. What is there to discuss with a group counting down their time? The KMT should think about how to get past the forged petition instead.

The KMT remains scattered, each with their own tune. A "no confidence motion" failed as neither KMT nor People First Party legislators agreed, and recalling Lai Qingde lacks feasibility. This means Zhu Lih-Lun's call on May 20th to propose recalling Lai Qingde is empty talk, seen as a joke by Lai Qingde.

In the "recall legislator" movement, none of the KMT's "recall Green Camp legislators" cases have passed the second-stage petitions, while the DPP's "recall Blue Camp legislators" has already had six or seven cases pass the second-stage petitions, including deep-blue districts such as Xu Qiao-Xin, Luo Zhi-Qiang, Lai Shi-Bao, and Wang Hong-Wei. The green camp estimates that around 15 "recall Blue Camp" cases may enter the third stage voting phase.

As long as six KMT legislators can be recalled, the DPP can achieve "absolute majority" in the legislature, thereby realizing "full governance", escaping the checks and balances of the blue and white camps, and allowing Lai Qingde to act without restraint. His re-election in 2028 will likely succeed.

Therefore, Lai Qingde will not stop pursuing the KMT. The DPP's "long-term governance" in Taiwan and the "extinction" of the KMT are not impossible.

By then, the only solution to the Taiwan issue will be for the mainland to intervene and achieve reunification.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830982232497155/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's views.