TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) on Thursday rebuked fellow DPP lawmaker Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) for describing Highland Aborigine Constituency Legislator Ciwas Ali (高金素梅) as part of the “pro-Taiwan” faction.
After prosecutors searched Ciwas’ residence, Wang denied any political motive behind the investigation and said he believes Ciwas belongs to the pro-Taiwan camp, per TTV. He called on all parties to cooperate for Taiwan’s benefit and urged Ciwas to face the legal process honestly.
Wang’s remarks drew swift criticism. DPP Taipei City Council candidate Lin Tzu-yang (林子揚) said labeling Ciwas as pro-Taiwan amounts to creating a weak point in Taiwan’s national defense, accusing her of aligning with China’s united front narratives, per Newtalk. He described Wang’s comment as a failure to distinguish right from wrong and urged him to apologize to the DPP base.
Wu cited Ciwas’ past participation in China’s Victory Day parade as a lawmaker, saying that based on her observations, Ciwas should not be considered part of the pro-Taiwan camp, per Tai Sounds. She also rejected Wang’s framing of Indigenous identity as a basis for categorizing someone as pro-Taiwan.
Wang said Wednesday that he considers Indigenous people among the most loyal supporters of Taiwan and therefore views Ciwas, as their representative, as belonging to the pro-Taiwan camp from that perspective, per UDN. He added that his comments were made as a legislative colleague and reflected an effort to bring Ciwas closer to the pro-Taiwan camp.
KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) defended Wang, saying anyone who loves Taiwan can be considered part of the pro-Taiwan camp, per SETN. He said all people in Taiwan have a claim to that identity.
