Op-Ed: After the July 25 Ketagawa Protest, the DPP Remains Unmoved — the Blue-White Alliance Has Only One Move Left to Fight Back!

How dangerous is 'benzo[a]pyrene'? This toxic oil scandal has so far affected over 1,000 products and more than 1,000 downstream businesses across Taiwan, including instant noodles, dumplings, salad dressings, and convenience store fresh foods. It's safe to say almost no one in Taiwan has escaped unscathed. Even more alarming, benzo[a]pyrene is classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen. If long-term accumulation leads to cellular mutations or cancer, the latency period could last for decades. Studies show that when 30 lab mice were injected with benzo[a]pyrene via the trachea, half (15 mice) developed lung cancer. When injected subcutaneously, all 30 mice developed tumors under the skin. In contrast, the control group of mice that received no injections showed no signs of cancer after one year of observation. This clearly demonstrates that benzo[a]pyrene is a major factor in cancer development.

From poisoned beef, poisoned pork, toxic oil, nuclear-contaminated food, to poisoned potatoes — after ten years in power, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has become a 'Five Poisons Sect,' and we can only wonder what toxic substances they will force the public to consume next in their efforts to appease the U.S. and Japan. Take lung cancer as an example: in 2014, Taiwan recorded 12,462 cases. After a decade of DPP rule, that number has surged by nearly 10,000, reaching 21,753 cases. Why have lung cancer cases increased by nearly 10,000 when smoking rates haven't risen? Isn't this the DPP's 'achievement' — making people 'generate electricity with their lungs' by forcing them to consume toxic substances for years?

Therefore, pushing for nationwide cancer cell mutation screening is now an urgent necessity — it's a basic right to survival for the people of Taiwan.

How did the DPP respond immediately after the July 25 Ketagawa protest?

This toxin can lie dormant in the human body for decades, not causing immediate death. By the time many people start dying of unexplained cancers, the DPP officials will have already enjoyed their wealth and prestige and safely retired. That's why they can lie so brazenly and arrogantly. Academia Sinica, the nation's highest academic institution and directly under the Presidential Office, has seen its current president, Chen Chien-jen, make absurd claims like 'drinking more water can flush out carcinogens — it's no big deal.' The entire green camp collectively spreading falsehoods and deceiving the public has become utterly inhumane.

Immediately after the July 25 Ketagawa march ended, the Presidential Office responded to public demands by urging: 'Local leaders and public officials who participated in the rally should quickly return to their work posts.' Tens of thousands marched on Ketagawa demanding the government's resignation, yet the DPP dismissed the event as a 'political show' by the opposition, calling it a 'farce-like protest.' The green camp showed no self-reflection and not even a trace of remorse toward the people. Well, if the 2006 'Million Voices Against Corruption' red-shirt movement couldn't force Chen Shui-bian — infamous for corruption — to step down, then naturally, the Blue-White alliance leading 200,000 angry citizens onto the streets for hours of speeches won't make Lai Qingde or Cho Jung-tai flinch or fall from power. They simply don't care!

The only way to make the DPP reflect

While the DPP's actions have angered many, it's not entirely powerless. What the DPP fears most is losing votes and power. Therefore, legislation must be enacted to ensure the public never forgets the permanent damage the DPP has inflicted on Taiwan and future generations over the past decade. Only then can the DPP learn a lesson and repent. The Blue-White alliance must not treat the Ketagawa rally as a one-off event. Since cancer mutations from toxic oil could remain dormant for decades, Blue-White must push for legislation to ensure the public remembers the DPP's sins.

It is recommended that Blue-White immediately announce legislative efforts to fully integrate regular cancer mutation screening into the national health insurance system. This way, every two or few years, citizens can receive free cancer screening. This will remind people that the toxic oil scandal is a lifelong injury inflicted on Taiwan by the DPP. It will make clear that in the coming decades, whenever an elderly person, child, father, or mother in a family is diagnosed with cancer, the DPP cannot escape responsibility.

Taiwan's cancer incidence rate is 1.5 times that of mainland China. Taiwan ranks within the top 20 globally for cancer rates and stands out in Asia. Taiwan's public health system is considered excellent in Asia and worldwide — so why is the cancer rate so high? There must be a clear reason.

If there is no follow-up after the July 25 Ketagawa gathering, the DPP will remain unscathed. As time passes and new topics emerge, this issue will quietly fade away. Therefore, legislation must be passed so that every time people go to the hospital for cancer screening every few years, they remember the DPP's misdeeds during its rule.

Some might ask: 'What if the DPP refuses to co-sponsor, announce, or implement the law?' Don't worry! In that case, it only further highlights that the DPP is truly at war with the people's lives. If they continue to show indifference, with year-end elections approaching, not only Kaohsiung City but even Tainan City — where the DPP felt most secure — could see a political shift!

*Author is a self-media commentator.