Advertisements from the foreign ministry on cable TV channels calling for assistance in translation work for the foreign rescue teams reveals another problem: Why did it not seek assistance from the Ministry of Education instead? Taiwan has plenty of language experts at its colleges and universities who could have stepped in.
Perhaps what has become most glaringly obvious, however, is that the government simply was poorly prepared because it had not been listening to the predictions of experts on the likelihood of an earthquake striking Taiwan. Talk of a major quake hitting the Chianan Plain has long existed. Although the quake did not actually take place in Chianan, the management of relief efforts shouldn't have been any different than if it had. Was the ruling party well-prepared to deal with the prospect of a quake, so that government organs were able to appropriately divide their responsibilities and react in an efficient and timely manner? I think not.
To give them their credit, President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Vice President Lien Chan (連戰) and Premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) all personally visited the devastated areas, while Minister of the Interior Huang Chu-wen (黃主文) held many press conferences to explain the progress and latest developments of the rescue efforts. But much more could have been done. If the government had drawn up careful plans ahead of time, perhaps the rescue efforts would have run more smoothly, and the number of casualties and injuries could have been minimized.
I do not mean to be harsh, as the government is clearly being earnest in its relief efforts. But I must hold in a much higher regard private relief organizations for their kindred spirit and initiative, and the media for their hard work. Having finally come to terms with my shock and grief over the quake, I have also come to realize through TV and radio reporting that Taiwan's vitality really comes from its people.
Samantha Wu is a lecturer in the Division of General Education and Core Curriculum at Tamkang University.
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