KMT’s Jaw Shaw-kong equates Lai Ching-te with war

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong declared during a live stream interview on Wednesday (Jan. 3) that Lai Ching-te, Taiwanese independence, and war are synonymous, best described as the "Trinity."

"If you allow Lai to advocate for Taiwan's independence, it will attract a war," Jaw said.

During the interview with online media My-formosa.com news head Wu Tsu-chia, Jaw Shaw-kong tackled questions from viewers straightforwardly.

The candidate criticized Beijing's imprisonment of Hong Kong merchant Jimmy Lai, who has been detained for over 1,000 days.

The KMT candidate also accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of advocating for a cabinet system when out of power, but refusing to do so upon taking office. He pointed out that former President Ma Ying-jeou had also considered the cabinet system during his term but dismissed it as too tedious to amend the constitution.

If successful in the election, Jaw Shaw-kong vowed to implement reforms and reaffirmed the KMT's clear stance on abolishing the death penalty.

In choosing a Minister of Justice, he said he would ask if the prospective appointee is willing to sign off on death penalties. He believes that established matters should be executed.

Jaw Shaw-kong mentioned former President Chen Shui-bian, firmly stating that even if Lai Ching-te were elected, he would not grant Chen special amnesty.

He accused the DPP of being a "democratic dictatorship" and said that once elected, they become authoritarian. If Lai Ching-te is elected, Jaw Shaw-kong warned, it will bring uncertainty to Taiwan's future.

Throughout the 90-minute live webcast, he addressed several issues, including capital punishment and democratic constitutionalism, seizing the opportunity to win voter recognition.