A resident in central Taiwan was recently sentenced to eight months in prison for publicly calling a female judge "rookie" (
More annoying is that those who obviously have no sense of right and wrong usually talk nonsense in order to rationalize their own mistakes by bringing up points that are apparently right but actually wrong.
For example, although the Presidential Office did not publicly force TV stations to run President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) weekly televised talks -- A-bian Portrait -- which station owner would dare say "No?" Who would dare refuse to do Chen a favor? It's wrong for those in power to clamp down on the media and it's also wrong for them to influence the media.
Another example lies in the uproar over the Central News Agency's translation error. The CNA was surely to be blamed for mistakenly reporting that PFP Chairman James Soong (
Although the GIO was treated unjustly in the CNA case, it also made the mistake of talking rubbish and mixing up right and wrong in its NT$1.1 billion collective purchase of media promotional air-time and advertising space.
Collective purchases are more advantageous to the government. The collective purchases for the reconstruction work of the 921 earthquake serves as an example. But this example was just an exception, not the rule. The GIO's claim of simply carrying out its collective purchases this time by following precedent was farfetched. Besides, although government agencies' bidding processes appear to be completely transparent, those who know the tricks of bidding all understand that most bid winners have long been decided by the government.
Officials should avoid behavior that attracts suspicion, even if the president does not intend to abuse his power as the head of state in the weekly talks, and the GIO does not desire to profit, bribe, lure or punish the media with its huge advertisement budget either. Why would they insist on their plans and cause unnecessary trouble?
The DPP's accusation against Soong, a former KMT secretary-general, regarding the Lafayette case is yet another example. Those who are familiar with the decision process of this country's arms purchases know that many government and military leaders were involved in the case, but the KMT headquarters has never been implicated. Why would we need those military and foreign officials if the headquarters made the final decision and took the kickbacks?
Have the investigations by the military, the judiciary and the Control Yuan in the past few years been a waste of time, since none of them has mentioned the role played by the KMT headquarters? Obviously, Soong had nothing to do with the purchases. But the DPP has caused an uproar by citing former French foreign minister Roland Dumas' groundless remarks, so as to attack its political opponents.
There should be fundamental standards for what we say and do. People will certainly act recklessly in a society where a sense of right and wrong does not exist. Today's Taiwan is an example. The word "tragedy" does not even begin to describe the situation.
Wang Chien-chuang is president of The Journalist magazine.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with