After the two recent disasters of Typhoon Xangsane and the crash of flight SQ006, I can't keep it in any more. I simply have to react. I fully agree with the article Flight safety is a combined effort (Nov. 2, page 8). In the end it doesn't matter where you sit in an airplane during a crash, or where you live during a typhoon -- it depends on people's attitudes.
I could say enough about this to fill this newspaper, but let's try and keep it brief. The meaning of the word "attitude," is my point. How much attitude is there in Taiwan towards anything? To protect myself, I'd rather not say too much on this. Suffice it to say that on Nov. 2, the newspaper led with the disastrous aftermath of Xangsane. After reading it, I couldn't help but wonder: how could all of this be possible? This wasn't the first typhoon in Taiwan's history. My conclusion: it's an attitude problem. Everybody knew about the approaching typhoon, but their attitude was somehow too complacent: it's just another one!
People living in well known disaster areas should not wait until they have a flooded house (or a house that has moved due to landslides) before they consider moving. Yet many people drowned in basements. People should stay away from mountains and other dangerous areas for excursions in bad weather.
Still many are caught stranded in desolate areas.
Some people know about the approaching dangers, and would prefer to be indoors where it is safer and they have less chance of being killed or injured by falling objects. They only go out on the streets when they absolutely have to because, for example, they have to go to work. I stop my list.
The newspaper continued, however, with news of the crash at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. I read the article Safety Should Come First, (Editorial, Nov. 2, page 8) and I am sorry to say that my opinion is epitomized exactly by the one sentence, "Tuesday's crash brought tremendous pressure to bear on our flight system, amid fears that Taiwan's safety record will suffer another setback if the accident is proven to have been caused by an error in the CKS control tower."
Knowing how people in Taiwan drive, how they judge approaching traffic, ignore traffic rules, park and drive anywhere, ignore pedestrians and road signs (and once again I stop my list), my first reaction after the accident was harsh: the airport is to be blamed! I can't help but ask: why is it specifically here that an accident-free airline crashes? Also in my thoughts was the bad weather and I was thinking of February 1998 when the weather was also bad. That only convinced me that I am now living in the country with the most unsafest international airport. God knows how I (with a natural fear of flying) am ever going to leave this country in an airplane ever again. I can only suggest that if the government really exists, they start doing something about educating citizens. Enforce existing laws, please! Don't wait for a similar incident to occur. To the citizens of this country I would like to suggest the following: don't always wait for repeat occurrences. Use your own common sense and start thinking about what you can do to prevent a disaster. Start by abiding by existing laws and start thinking about other people while they are still alive. So, don't wait until you're requested to turn off your mobile phone, or wait until you get a fine for ignoring traffic rules, or wait until the next earthquake before you start practicing emergency evacuations, or think the next typhoon will not be as bad as Xangsane.
Start thinking about your attitude towards anything and everything!
Anton J Jansen
Taipei
Lincoln and Chen
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will one day be compared to America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. Taiwan is in a kind of quiet civil war right now with the forces of democracy trying to overcome the dark evils of 50 years of one-party rule. The KMT is proving itself to be a very sore loser of the last election. Should it actually impeach the president it will destroy Taiwan's fragile credibility with its best friend, the US. Lincoln was beset on all sides during his years in office. He carried the country on his shoulders throughout his term ... until he was assassinated. Chen seems to be in the same situation.
The people of Taiwan need to see this latest impeachment trick for the evil that it is. The president has done nothing wrong. The president is a really decent man who is attempting to do the impossible with little support. If the KMT attempts to martyr him they'll pay dearly and so will the Taiwanese people. If Taiwan wants to go communist, then impeaching this particular president will have all of you reporting to Beijing! Impeaching Chen is a political assassination that will lead to Taiwan's international political suicide. Think about it.
Dr Robin Rose
Kenting
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