Recently Taiwan TV reported on an incident in the sea off Kenting, where a jet ski rider running wild on the water hit and injured a father and a son playing near the beach. The boy has been unconscious ever since the incident and it is feared that he may never recover.
Seeing the boy lying unconscious on his hospital bed with his helpless parents nearby and then hearing the chief of the Kenting National Park administration say, "Actually there is no way we can control the jet skis, we are also at a loss (over what to do)," I was filled with anger and felt Taiwan has returned to what it was three or four decades ago -- a poor and backward Third World country with no guarantee whatsoever of personal safety.
Is Taiwan really in such a state?
I cannot believe that jet skis -- which have seriously endangered the safety of visitors frolicking near beaches (media reports claim more than 20 lives have been lost in recent years in jet ski accidents) -- are openly available at a multitude of rental stalls at many famous seaside and lakeside resorts, despite the fact that the government has not lifted restrictions on the skis.
These stalls have been around for years and the jet skis they rent out have killed or injured many a visitor, but government authorities have turned a blind eye, allowing the number of jet skis to drastically increase (the number of jet skis available in the Kenting area have increased from just over ten a few years ago to more than 200.)
Especially puzzling is the fact that the head of the Kenting National Park, which is home to some of Taiwan's most precious coral resources, has for years allowed the jet skis free rein, a move that has seriously affected the park's water quality and coral reef ecology. And then he can evade the issue with the perfunctory statement, "There is no way we can control them."
The massive waves, noise and oily exhaust generated by the jet skis will inevitably have an impact on wildlife. If officials cannot control the destruction of the park's ecology, then why should we allocate a budget of several hundred million NT dollars every year to keep the park management?
If the chief of the park management, after so many years at his post, cannot resolve this one issue and cannot find a set of rules to do so, then shouldn't we ask him to step down and launch an investigation into possible corruption or negligence among government officials?
I also find it unbelievable that in Taiwan, where vehicle registration, driver's licenses and rental licenses are required for cars, ships and even scooters, our local police and government authorities can look on for years while unlicensed jet ski rental businesses and private jet ski owners run amuck, harming the lives of countless tourists.
Taiwan is entering an era of two-day weekends. Famous water resorts will be jam-packed on holidays. Recreation is becoming modern man's most important pursuit.
In the future, recreation "rights" will invariably become the most important rights of the populace. A significant portion of the government's public image and policy success will be built on ensuring public recreation rights, the management of recreation resources and improving the quality of recreation.
Will the populace support the government when they feel they can only leave home happily and are not able to return home safely?
Jet skis are only the tip of the iceberg of the deplorable state of Taiwan's recreation resources. They remind the government and the populace that it is high time for an overall check-up of Taiwan's recreation environment.
Lin Yun Ko is a writer and photographer.
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