Welcome to the second installment in our series on Taiwan's Great Recall (大罷免) in which we aim to bring you perspectives from all sides of the debate at this important moment in Taiwan's democratic journey.
As we explained in our first episode, since the last election in January 2024, Taiwan's parliament or Legislative Yuan has been controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) (中國國民黨) and their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party who according to opponents have sought to block the ruling party's agenda, freeze or cut budgets, undermine Taiwan's constitutional order and weaken efforts to bolster defense capabilities against growing Chinese military threats.
The KMT insist that they are seeking to strengthen and protect Taiwan's democracy and say these recalls are politically motivated. They accuse the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (民主進步黨) of instigating the recall campaign, of mobilizing civic groups and attempting to use recalls to eliminate the opposition.
On a Friday afternoon in early June, I met up with members of Public Collaborative Tactics (Instagram: @pctbababa), a grassroots pro-recall group based at Jinan Presbyterian Church (濟南教會), just steps away from the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
I was really interested to find out how the group came together and what motivates their cause. I also wanted to hear their thoughts on the Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT and if they had particular concerns about the party's behavior. I also asked if they had connections with any political parties and how they were funded. But to begin, the group introduced themselves and then told me how they all came together.
Date of Recording: June 13th, 2025.
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| Jinan Presbyterian Church in Zhongzheng District, Taipei |
DIVE DEEPER:
- Jinan Presbyterian Church - website
- The final leg of the recall battle - Tshua Siu-Ui, Taipei Times (July 7th, 2025)
- Explainer: Mass slate of recall votes leaves KMT staring down disaster - Teng Pei-ju and Sunny Lai, Focus Taiwan (June 21st, 2025)
- Taiwan to hold recall election for lawmakers that could reshape parliament - Reuters (June 20th, 2025)
- Political Parties in Taiwan recall dozens of MPs just one year after elections - Ilham Issak, ABC News (May 9th, 2025)
- German Institute in Taipei condemns KMT Chairman's comments comparing President to Adolf Hitler - Hanna Bilinski, Radio Taiwan International (May 8th, 2025)
- Cut Too Deep ? Widespread Recall Efforts Against Taiwanese Legislators - Olimpia Kot, Sarah Jiang, European Values Center for Security Policy (March 11th, 2025)
- Taiwan's Budget Cuts: A Partisan Battleground - Olimpia Kot, European Values Center for Security Policy (January 28th, 2025)
- Citizen Congress Watch report (December 2024)
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