Picture shows a drive-in COVID-19 testing site in Taipei, China's Taiwan island, on May 17, 2022. Photo: AFP

May 20 marks the day when the regional leader of the island of Taiwan took office. Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have ruled the island for six years. On Friday afternoon, Tsai gave a short speech in which she mentioned the difficulties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. She played the "emotional card," expressing gratitude to Taiwan people and armed forces. This short speech was more low-profile than that of Su Tseng-chang, the head of Taiwan's executive body, in which Su boasted about the "achievements" made in the past six years. This was a political maneuver of Tsai but it also showed her guilt. 

The so-called achievements of Tsai and the DPP cannot stand scrutiny. If the veneer is peeled off and the facts that Tsai and Su have deliberately avoided mentioning are added back, the "achievements" are a record of their taints, or a comprehensive "evidence of guilt." At least "seven sins" can be summarized. 

First sin: Inability in COVID fight. On the day that marks Tsai's six years, 85,720 new COVID cases were reported in the island of Taiwan, where over 80,000 daily new cases were found for three consecutive days. The total number of infections has surpassed 1 million. The "exemplary model" in the COVID fight has turned into a real epicenter. In this context, Tsai still said the COVID fight team has done a great job. Last year, Tsai reportedly canceled her speech on May 20 due to the pandemic. A year has passed and the situation is worse now. 

Second sin: Soliciting US support and seeking secession. This has been the keynote of DPP's policies in the past six years. The political maneuvers aimed at secession by soliciting US support have greatly escalated cross-Straits tensions. The DPP authority actively cooperates with the US' strategy to contain China, even at the expense of the island's own interests, in exchange for Washington's support, which in essence is the trick to take advantage of the island of Taiwan. This is the most serious betrayal of the Taiwan compatriots and the Chinese nation in general by the DPP, and the harm and risk it causes are incalculable.

Third sin: "Desinicization" and antagonizing the Chinese mainland. The DPP has launched a large-scale "desinicization" campaign in politics, economy, history and culture to push cross-Straits "decoupling." The cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation when Ma Ying-jeou was regional leader were completely destroyed. In other words, the DPP authority is using a knife to slice through Taiwan's flesh and blood ties with the mainland.

Fourth sin: Wanton military engagement. The defense budget of Taiwan reached NT$471.7 billion ($17.05 billion) in 2022 with a year-on-year increase of 5.2 percent. In comparison, the budget to buy COVID vaccines was only NT$10 billion this year. The military budget is increasingly eroding the economic development and people's welfare. The costly weapons purchased from the US are turning the island of Taiwan into an arsenal that may blow up anytime. 

Fifth sin: High debt. The DPP authority's huge expenditure on defense and "dollar diplomacy" were made through abusing special budgets. It is crazy borrowing and overdrawing the future. Data shows if the debt is shared evenly by the 23 million people on the island, everyone will be responsible for at least hundreds of thousands of new Taiwan dollars. This has laid a huge hidden danger to the economic and social development of the island.

Sixth sin: "Green terror." In the name of "transitional justice," the DPP authority has been cutting out dissent and cracking down on political opponents. The island claims to be a land of democracy and freedom, but now only secessionists have full liberty in the island while pro-reunification groups share none. There is only freedom to seek secession but none for voicing reunification. 

Seventh sin: Recession in livelihood. Although the GDP of Taiwan doesn't look bad, if inflation is taken into account, people's actual income is seeing negative growth. In addition to the problem of low wages that has not been solved, high housing prices and high unemployment are becoming more and more intense. Meanwhile, a shortage of water, electricity, land, labor and talent is more prominent. "Making electricity with love" and "governing water problems with mouth" have become a bitter but real irony.

Over the past six years, Tsai and the DPP have become more obsessed with manipulating public opinion. They are more brazen. But history is hard to fool, and it will deliver a guilty verdict on Tsai and the DPP.