Is Taiwan’s William Lai purging political foes? Critics condemn ‘impurities’ speech

Amid a controversial lawmaker recall campaign, opposition KMT calls on people of Taiwan to reject island leader’s ‘dictatorship’

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Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s comments on “removing impurities” through democratic processes have critics saying his unity campaign is a political smokescreen to justify reshaping the legislature through recalls. Photo: CNA

Published: 11:00am, 27 Jun 2025Updated: 11:15am, 27 Jun 2025

Recent comments by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te about “removing impurities” through democratic processes have triggered a fierce backlash on the island, with critics accusing him of authoritarian tendencies and attempting to divide Taiwan under the guise of unity.

Delivering the second of his “10 Talks on Uniting the Country” series on Tuesday, Lai described Taiwan’s democratic progress as akin to forging steel. “Hammer after hammer, tempered into steel, all impurities removed – until all that is left is an iron will to defend our sovereignty and safeguard our democracy,” he said.

He added that democracy was secured “through continuous elections and recall votes, through every single ballot cast”.

Opposition lawmakers were quick to condemn his remarks, calling them a veiled attempt to justify purging dissent and pushing forward the efforts of Lai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to recall dozens of main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators on July 26.

KMT chairman Eric Chu Li-luan described Lai’s speech as “a blatant attempt at political purification”, akin to those seen in authoritarian regimes.

“The idea of removing political impurities echoes the kind of extreme ideological purity seen in North Korea today,” he said, calling on the people of Taiwan to reject Lai’s “dictatorship” by voting against the recalls.

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