"Oil' You Can't Choose!" Allies of Eric Chu Release Scathing Video Targeting Wu Cheng: 'Force' Is a Word for Those Who Have Options

The Kuomintang is set to protest on Ketagalan Boulevard on the 25th, condemning the central government's failure to properly handle the Chung Lian toxic oil incident. 'Fengxiang Co., Ltd.,' a group established by protégés of former KMT chairman Eric Chu, has released a video titled 'Oil' You Can't Choose!' and posted on Facebook emphasizing: 'No one ever forced us to eat it—because the word "force" is reserved for those who have a choice. We didn't know what we were eating, how much we consumed, or where that batch of oil ended up. By the time we found out, it was already inside our bodies—no choice, no awareness. All of this: "Oil' You Can't Choose!"'

The post stresses that politics has never been about grand ideals, but about protecting people's most basic daily lives. As elders say, the 'seven necessities upon opening the door': firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea. Oil is one of the most fundamental—so fundamental that you never think about it. You don't wake up in the morning and contemplate life while staring at a frying pan; you simply pour oil, fry an egg, and start your day. Precisely because it's so basic, the entire nation erupted in anger thirteen years ago during the Dafon and Ting Hsin scandals—because it wasn't about political stance; it was about everyone's kitchen.

Yet thirteen years have passed, and even this most basic demand remains unmet. Benzo[a]pyrene is the only one of over sixty polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as 'carcinogenic to humans,' in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. The legal limit in edible oil is 2.0 micrograms per kilogram, but this batch tested at 8.1—four times the standard. Once ingested, it causes no pain, no itch, no immediate sensation.

And when that oil hits the pan and starts to smoke, it transforms from food into airborne pollution. Those standing closest are mothers at home, children in night markets, and food vendors who spend every day tending oil vats. This is where systemic gaps exist. The 'Five Food Safety Rings' were proclaimed; the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Budget was spent. Yet these two holes remain unpatched after thirteen years. Shouldn't people ask? Shouldn't accountability be demanded?

When the public asked what this substance actually was, a ruling party councilor claimed benzo[a]pyrene 'naturally exists in plants—it's naturally present.' When people asked what to do after consuming it, Academia Sinica President Chen Chien-jen told the legislature that 'drinking more water can flush it out.' But benzo[a]pyrene is nearly insoluble in water, and there is no human evidence supporting this claim. When people questioned why only the first tier was recalled, Health Minister Shih Chou-yang later admitted that 'not recalling the second tier does seem a bit strange,' yet still insisted, 'This wasn't a misjudgment.' When people asked who should apologize, Premier Cho Jung-tai retorted in the legislature: 'Is today a special report session or a special apology session?'

When reporters asked about the progress of the response, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an waved away the microphone. As the reporter approached to clarify, he said: 'Don't come here trying to sensationalize news with me.' When the public asked what their attitude was, a DPP spokesperson said: 'It's not like I forced you to eat it—why are you yelling at me?'

In fact, that last statement wasn't wrong. No one ever forced us to eat it—because 'force' is a word for those who have options. We didn't know what we ate, how much we consumed, or where that oil went. By the time we knew, it was already in our bodies—no choice, no awareness. All of this: 'Oil' You Can't Choose!'