Commentary: Chiang Wan-an's son has been marked by privilege, and that reflects a KMT habit

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's handling of his son's application for an international exchange program has put him at the center of public criticism. The issue, this commentary argues, is not simply a moment of carelessness. It reflects a deeply rooted habit associated with Taiwan's KMT elite.

The writer places that habit in the party-state system of the authoritarian era, when laws and special examinations created preferential routes for particular groups. Examples cited include special civil-service examinations, avenues for veterans and diplomatic personnel, and benefits tied to KMT membership. Such systems, the commentary says, divided citizens into ruling and ruled classes and allowed selected people to bypass ordinary competition.

Chiang's family history is presented as part of that legacy. His father, Chiang Hsiao-yen, entered the Foreign Ministry through a diplomatic and consular special examination in 1968 and later passed the top-level version in 1978 after returning from the United States. The higher examination was abolished in 1995 after criticism over opaque procedures and the prominence of unexpected successful candidates.

The commentary also recalls controversies surrounding Chiang Wan-an himself. In 1997, it says, he entered National Chengchi University's Department of Diplomacy through a recommendation route available to children of diplomats, without taking the university entrance examination. Around 2003, he served 14 days of military service after a medical assessment classified his lumbar disc herniation as meeting the standard for alternative service.

Because Chiang has experienced such advantages personally, the writer says, he should have been especially alert when separating public resources from family interests. Instead, the commentary describes his handling of the exchange application as accepting the benefit before giving up the NT$75,000 public subsidy, rather than abandoning the arrangement from the outset. It asks whether privilege had become so familiar that it distorted his team's judgment, calling that question more important than an election.