Boy, they’re sure serious about defense, huh?
When I’m feeling charitable, I chalk up their obstructionism to the fact that the KMT are the opposition party, and of course, the job of the opposition is to oppose. There’s some evidence for this, because there are a number of other bills that languish simply because the KMT wants to deny the ruling party any legislative successes.
But sometimes, I take a darker view. Perhaps the KMT wants a weak Taiwan, and wants America to wash its hands of the place. Then, the Taiwanese would be in no position to resist when the KMT approaches China with a surrender, er, ah, "peace" proposal.
While the old KMT was a staunch anti-communist party, the new KMT sees things differently. It looks across the straits, and sees a communist party which tolerates private property, and brooks no political opposition. In short, it sees a "communist" party that closely resembles the KMT of old. So the new KMT makes pilgimages to Beijing, cozies up to the communist party, and badmouths America.
Taiwan Must Fix Defense Gaps to Avoid Future War
Updates: Political cartoons on the subject from the Taipei Times: