Politicians talk 'reconciliation' at Jaw Shau-kong book launch

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Figures from Taiwan's three main political parties reminisced about a 30-year-old "reconciliation coffee" meeting in the context of Taiwan's current political deadlock, during a book launch for pundit Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) on Tuesday.

The event, held to promote Jaw's new book reflecting on his career in politics, was attended mainly by members of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

The one exception was Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), legislative caucus convener of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

In their speeches, several of the guests made reference to Jaw's participation in a 1995 meeting at the Legislative Yuan coffee shop now known as the "grand reconciliation coffee" (大和解咖啡).

That meeting was set up when then-DPP Chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德) invited Jaw and other members of the New Party, a KMT splinter group, to discuss presenting a united front in opposition to the then-ruling Kuomintang.

It was seen as surprising given the sides' starkly differing political stances, with the DPP being broadly pro-independence, while the New Party at the time was generally more in favor of unifying with China.

In his remarks, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had invited Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to a similar coffee meeting to defuse tensions, but had failed to follow through with any concrete actions.

Ker, meanwhile, joked that he had accepted Jaw's invitation to the book launch despite knowing he would be "one green dot amid a sea of blue," referring to the DPP and KMT's respective colors.

Ker reminisced in his speech about how he, Jaw and Han had first been colleagues in the Legislature back in 1993, and all the subsequent changes that had occurred in Taiwan's history.

"At this point I want to ask -- when will the cup of reconciliation coffee be refilled? That is what's important," Ker said.

Speaking later, Jaw, the KMT's 2024 vice presidential nominee, noted that "everyone" had been bringing up the 1995 meeting.

"If I had the opportunity, I would be willing to invite all three parties for a 'reconciliation coffee'. It would be good for Taiwan, the ROC," he said, adding that "no one wants to see this kind of constant conflict."

The wistful talk of reconciliation came amid an unprecedented impasse in Taiwanese politics, in which legislation passed by the KMT and TPP, as well as the inability to compromise on filling court vacancies, has largely paralyzed the Constitutional Court.

In response, the DPP-led government has refused to implement some legal amendments passed by the Legislature, arguing that it is unable to seek constitutional review, while opposition parties have responded by threatening to pursue impeachment proceedings against President Lai.

At the same time, Legislature has yet to pass the government's 2026 budget as well as a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget, as the sides remain at loggerheads over what the bills contain.