I don't know who Shih Ming-teh (施明德) thinks he is helping by depicting the march against the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant as "dispirited" ("Marching backwards while moving forward," May 26, Page 12). For one, despite the wilting heat, it took a lot of drive and determination and effort for 2,000 people to come together, with banners and street theater and put out a big message to the public.
For another, as international affairs officer of the Green Party Taiwan, I can say that the environmental movement has long since realized that the DPP essentially has no environmental policy. Only four or five DPP legislators can be counted on to stand up for environmental issues, not including Shih.
Of course the movement is disappointed with some of the statements of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and EPA head Lin Jun-yi (林俊義), but it will hardly be daunted now when the real probability of stopping the plant is at hand. Chen may want to show he is judging the matter on its merits; Lin, as a biologist, knows the real dangers of nuclear power. Finally, it may be that Shih is striking out at Chen for his own purposes. During the presidential campaign, as in the previous year, he stood mostly in the Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) camp and was noted for frequent potshots at the party's nominee. Is it any wonder that he feels he is being given the cold shoulder now?
Shih used to have excellent political judgment and I do not regret marrying him to keep him out of jail in 1978. But I also divorced him in 1995 when he was DPP chairman, over an issue of international human rights. If he had not been so busy in recent years trying to be the high-level broker between the DPP and New Party types, it would be possible to take his statements of "principles" seriously. Too bad a man who served 25 years as a political prisoner now only has his own vanity to uphold.
Linda Gail Arrigo
Taipei
Thanks to Richard Hartzell
While I appreciate the letters setting the record straight and pointing out that many others in Taiwan have obtained six year driver's licenses, I was left with the impression that Richard Hartzell was part of some deception with regard to what the regulations in Taiwan really are. Hartzell has done a great deal toward improving life for foreigners in Taiwan and I, for one, owe him my thanks. Steve Campbell
Taoyuan
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