President Chen Shui-bian (
It all began with a remark made by PFP Chairman James Soong (
Unethical because he insulted Taiwan's diplomatic allies. It amounted to negating their value at a time when the president was visiting those countries -- and seriously damaging diplomatic relations. Given what small number of friends Taiwan has managed to maintain in the world, wouldn't Soong have to visit those countries and try to consolidate diplomatic relations if he were president?
Chen downplayed Soong's remarks in his response, saying "he was just speaking too hastily." But in the eyes of most people, it was a deliberate attempt to destroy Chen's "humanitarian diplomacy" trip. Soong with all his cunning knows clearly that a head of state can easily score high political marks by visiting ally countries. Thus, vilifying him before he departs can have the effect of denting his score. Looking at the issue from the perspective of national interests, this newspaper believes Soong is simply low and depraved.
Soong's attack was followed on Saturday by a remark from KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
For his part, Chen does not seem to have studied the art of rhetoric well either. He said while on the trip, "By binding themselves together, Lien and Soong are taking the path to ruin. Their days are numbered." Such words should not have come from the mouth of our president. They will surely intensify the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties and are not conducive to political reconciliation in any way. He had just talked on the previous day about his plan to resume work on building an "alliance for national stability" aimed at neutralizing the confrontational situation. What's most often said about Chen's behavior is that he holds an olive branch in one hand and a dagger in the other. Is such self-contradiction a trait of "rule by a lawyer"?
A country's politics is a reflection of the local culture. Whatever quality of a people, they will have a corresponding type of politics. How can Taiwan's democracy develop if our political leaders continue to "educate" our electorate with such gross language?
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