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Letters:

DPP ad offends the world

As a visitor to Taiwan -- and not from the US -- I applaud Martin Lawson's response to Alfred Tsai's letter regarding the ongoing DPP debacle ("Letters," July 19, page 8).

While there is no question that the US is heavy-handed at times in asserting its super-power status, the outcry over the DPP's poor judgement in including Hitler as part of its advertising campaign has not emerged solely from the US. There has been a universal outcry over this matter because Taiwan is considered part of the global community. This is a community which, in part, is unified over basic moral issues, recognition of the atrocities of the past and the need to be sensitive to those who suffered under extreme persecution.

As such, the DPP controversy transcends the simple matter of freedom of speech. Rather, it is an issue which prompts the rest of the world to wonder whether Taiwan's democratically elected government has the good judgement and the awareness of historical contexts necessary to participate as a democratic nation on the world stage.

Christopher Allan

Taipei

Abraham H. Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, was right when he said, "This controversy highlights the continuing need for Holocaust education in Taiwan."

Hitler was one of the 20th century's most monstrous figures, but that didn't discourage Taiwan from using his image in a commercial. In the era of globalization, Taiwan's localiza-tion-centered insensitivity is potentially damaging. Most people paid little attention to the controversy. When asked whether anything struck them about the commercial, some people in southern Taiwan just shrugged. The DPP said they didn't think the ad would offend the people of Taiwan.

Sadly, I think they were right!

Julian Wang

Chiayi

Unification under the gun

Whenever a gun is pointed at the people of Taiwan and words like "unification or war" are uttered, the unification alluded to is a forced one; it is a crime.

Any poll concerning unification or "one country, two systems" ("One China is just a Mirage," July 20, page 13)

conducted either officially or privately in Taiwan must give two options for unification: one for unification accompanied by renunciation of the use of force against Taiwan as its impetus; and one unification without the threat or use of violence.

It is clear that the people of Taiwan have never been taxed by the communist Chinese government. They supported them-selves on this island for at least 300 years before the Chinese Communist Party even came into existence.

"Two systems" already exists. In practical terms, the people of Taiwan don't need "one country." But if the Chinese communists decided to give up any threat to Taiwan, the people would give due consideration to overtures from a civilized government. Only then would any polls -- conducted beyond an atmosphere of fear -- be worth referring to, both in psychological and statistical terms.

Kuojung Ni

Hsinchu City
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