The head of the Bratislava Region Juraj Droba (second from left) and Slovakian parliamentarian Miroslav Ziak on Thursday pose as boxers in front of the podium at Taiwan's "legislature," and simulated a scuffle in a realistic way. Screenshot from chinatimes.com

Astonishment and ridicule broke out on the island of Taiwan on Friday, after a Slovakian delegation of politicians staged a mock scuffle in the island's "legislature" inspired by the local politicians. Despite the Slovakian politicians' "sense of humor" was forcefully explained as a friendly gesture by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, most of the local residents saw it as an offensive and embarrassing scoff to the island's "kung fu democracy." 

A Slovakian delegation, led by deputy speaker of the Slovak National Council Milan Laurencik and Peter Osusky, the head of a Taiwan-friendly parliamentary group, visited the island from June 5 to 10. Their trip, which violated the one-China principle, has drawn strong opposition from the Chinese mainland. 

After discovering a hole in the portrait of China's 1911 Revolution leader Sun Yat-sen caused by a flying water bottle tossed during a partisan debate in the island "legislature," Slovak guests' great interest in Taiwan's "boxing democracy" was ignited. 

Facing the cameras, the head of the Bratislava Region Juraj Droba and Slovakian parliamentarian Miroslav Ziak posed as boxers in front of the podium, and simulated a scuffle in a realistic way, a vivid reproduction of how the island's "legislature" works.

An official from the DPP later explained that the Slovakian guests just used a lively way to express recognition of "Taiwan's democracy," which is pluralistic, Taiwan-based media outlets reported. 

Unlike the DPP's ability to roll with the punches, after video clips were released, it sparked a heated discussion online, with many Taiwan netizens saying, "I'm so ashamed! The whole world knows we suck!"

"If the Slovakian delegation had visited the US Capitol instead of Taiwan, would they have tried to 'show friendship' by imitating the way Trump supporters put their feet up on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office desk?" a Taiwan internet user asked. 

"I feel pathetic. Perhaps we, as masters, have not earned their respect," Yeh Yu-lan, a member of Taiwan's opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), said. She said that in recent years, the DPP used most of the violence to drag the opposition party members out of the "legislature," so it's not that fun like they acted. 

Some Taiwan observers said if the DPP authorities can laugh off the issue of dignity, it is bound to see more uncomfortable scenes in the future.

Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday the Slovakians' move was clearly a frivolous scoff about Taiwan's so-called democracy, as it is the one definitely to be avoided in a mutual-respect relationship.

Now that the media have publicly released videos and pictures, the only thing the DPP authorities can do is justify themselves. But in reality, the DPP's so-called Taiwan-friendly politicians in the West despise the DPP and they come to Taiwan just to get paid, Zhang said. 

Zhang said that "kung fu democracy" in Taiwan island emerged in the late 1980s, when the newly established secessionist DPP took the drastic approach of confronting the KMT in order to increase its media exposure.

KMT member Han Kuo-yu, who ran against Tsai for Taiwan's regional leadership in 2020, had a fight in the "legislature" in 1993 with secessionist Chen Shui-bian, who became Taiwan's regional leader in 2000, which left Chen in the hospital for three days.

In a "legislature debate" in November 2020, members of the KMT hurled packages of pig entrails to the head of Taiwan island's so-called "executive body" Su Tseng-chang, over the DPP authorities' decision to allow the import of US pork containing ractopamine.