DPP Plays Pro-China, Acting Out “Cognitive Warfare” Imagined by President Tsai
United Daily News Editorial, May 26, 2021
In an effort to divert the attention of the public from her administration’s poor performance in containing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, President Tsai Ing-wen has recently played the card of "cognitive warfare," but this has unexpectedly exposed a litter of cockroaches within the ruling party’s own house.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu first claimed that the online forum PTT was infiltrated by China, which allegedly prompted Internet users to delete the account of the Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, it was exposed by Internet users that the whole incident was self-staged by a DPP-friendly online writer, Lin Wei-feng, whose wife Yang Min currently serves as deputy director of the DPP’s Social Media Center. Now we know that President Tsai's so-called “cognitive warfare” by China was directed and faked by her own man.
Recently, the Tsai administration has tightened its speech control. Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Chung-yen refuted various rumors every day and told the public not to forward posts randomly, warning that doing so would subject one to NT$3 million (about US$108,000) fine or three years in jail. Until now, the government has brought more than ten such cases to the court.
Under these circumstances, the ruling DPP still played the trilogy: A pro-DPP group faked information; a DPP legislator criticized the effort; and the president followed by promoting a campaign against China’s “cognitive warfare.” It is unbelievable that the ruling DPP is so immoral to such an extent. No wonder the former DPP Legislator Kuo Cheng-liang cursed loudly that a litter of cockroaches even has the guts to swindle the president.
As chairwoman of the DPP, President Tsai danced with the script of "China cognitive warfare" faked by its party members, Internet writers and legislators, she cannot claim she is innocent and should also be held accountable. For who coddled DPP's culture of faking information? Who backed Lin?
With the recent surge of the pandemic, President Tsai played again the anti-China card hoping that the attention of the public could be diverted from its poor performance in containing the pandemic. In the past, the anti-China card has served the purpose all the time. This time, however, the role-play scandal as been exposed. If the government continues to fraudulently take advantage of the people’s anti-China sentiment, then these deeds will eventually be exposed.
Recently, unable to formulate effective policies to tackle the challenges at hand, President Tsai frequently appeals to the people's patriotism. Ironically, when the Tsai administration reiterated that local governments ought to cooperate with the central government in containing the pandemic, and that people should not repost false information, the so-called “red Internet army” that was exposed was actually role-played by the DPP’s side flanks and brought to the stage by a legislator and the president.
How can President Tsai explain that this "litter of cockroaches" comes from her own party, her own house? How can Deputy Minister Chen bring future cases to the court?