The second anniversary of the 921 earthquake has arrived. What have we learned over the past two years? Pondering this question should shame the people of Taiwan.
Taiwan has changed a lot in these two years -- there has been a transfer of power, the economy has taken a turn for the worse and there have been a slew of natural disasters. But one thing remains unchanged -- the selfishness and indifference displayed in the face of disaster.
Far too many people in Taiwan have learned nothing from our nation's history of disasters -- neither preparedness, nor cooperation nor humility. "Out of sight, out of mind" appears to be the post-disaster motto. Sleazy politicians have changed even less -- they're as cold-blooded as ever, eager to squabble and desperate to point the finger at someone else.
This anniversary has filled many people with regret but the superstitious are filled with the fear that the gods are trying to punish this generation for leading too good a life -- for not knowing how to appreciate our wealth and take pleasure in what is given to us; for being too reckless and lacking humility. And most of all, for repeating the same mistakes again and again.
In the early 1980s, Taiwan experienced a succession of great coal-mining disasters and public-security incidents, each of them leaving dozens, and in some cases, hundreds dead. With a seemingly endless series of funerals, society almost fell into deep despair. At the time, a religious charlatan, who enjoyed a great deal of respect from his followers in the US, said that Taiwan was experiencing such disasters due to too much "negative chi" (
Perhaps it is just much easier to believe in negative chi -- after all, it was good enough for our ancestors -- than to engage in self-reflection. It is easier to blame someone else -- the gods, anyone -- than to think that the fault lies with ourselves. Therefore the burden of responsibility can be avoided and with it the need to remember and learn, or to prepare so that the human and financial toll of such disasters can be minimized.
Japan serves as a mirror for Taiwan. Japan's economic development peaked in the mid-1980s, making the Japanese so arrogant that they thought they could challenge the whole world. The resulting US-Japan political and economic frictions lasted until the early 1990s. But the nerve-gas attack launched by the Aum Shinrikyo cult and the deadly Kobe earthquake forced the Japanese to confront the reality that even in a successful, technologically advanced society, there is no way to guard against the atrocities inflicted by extremists and the havoc wreaked by nature.
But disaster after disaster has failed to sway the people of Taiwan from their self-absorbed path. Despite the outcry after the 921 earthquake and the multitude of promises that the central and local governments would improve their disaster preparedness and emergency response plans -- Taiwan was still caught flat-footed by Typhoon Toraji in July and once again this week by Typhoon Nari. When a typhoon is headed straight for Taipei, is it too much to ask -- even on a weekend -- that the city's pumping stations be checked? As happened in September 1987 and countless other times, the pumping stations failed -- but this time the flooding in Taipei was the worst in 70 years.
Perhaps the Chen Shui-bian (
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