The competition during the election campaign was the fiercest in Taiwan's election history. The chaos during the campaign was also unprecedented.
Specious statements were disseminated both domestically and internationally in attempts to influence the election, and politicians used freedom of speech as an excuse to have the media spread information aimed at slandering their opponents. The mass media's unrestricted dissemination of politicians' undisciplined behavior led to immeasurable social damage, affected public order and halted the development of social fairness and justness.
Democratic societies are particular about the freedom of speech, and encouraging everyone to express their different ideas is a phenomenon particular to diversified societies. Democratic societies, however, are not societies where one can do whatever irresponsible thing one pleases -- we all have to take responsibility for our actions.
In other words, without verifying facts, politicians may not arbitrarily challenge the integrity and morals of others and use the ubiquitous media apparatus to slander opponents and destroy their reputation, claiming that they are doing so to reveal a malpractice. Evidence in support of the truth may then begin to appear, proving that the target has been the victim of slander. But even though the truth then is clear for all to see, the damage has already been done because the untruths have been so widely disseminated.
Advanced societies should possess mature soul-searching capabilities and be restricted by legal and moral standards.
We have all seen the chaos following in the wake of the presidential election. Politicians doing their utmost to slander and humiliate their opponents obviously provide negative examples for social education in Taiwan. If we are incapable of standing up against their disorderly behavior, then Taiwan will see the disappearance of justice and the further spread of social confusion and unease.
Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.
Translated by Perry Svensson
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
Liberals have wasted no time in pointing to Karol Nawrocki’s lack of qualifications for his new job as president of Poland. He has never previously held political office. He won by the narrowest of margins, with 50.9 percent of the vote. However, Nawrocki possesses the one qualification that many national populists value above all other: a taste for physical strength laced with violence. Nawrocki is a former boxer who still likes to go a few rounds. He is also such an enthusiastic soccer supporter that he reportedly got the logos of his two favorite teams — Chelsea and Lechia Gdansk —
RSS