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No one for the KMT to criticize except itself

`The pan-blue camp is in no position to criticize the administration about the Luchou tragedy.'

A recent tragedy in which a Taipei County woman set herself on fire and resulted in a blaze that killed 13 and injured 71 in Luchou township provoked ruthless political accusations from opposition parties. The problems highlighted by the fire, such as disorganized urban planning, narrow alley-ways, widespread illegal structures and motorcycle-blocked lanes, are leftover from the Chi-nese Nationalist Party (KMT) government, an alien regime which adored China and has never intended to settle in Taiwan permanently.

Expelled from China, the KMT government arrived in Taiwan in 1949 and exercised military rule and martial law. The KMT rulers had their hearts attached to the other side of the Taiwan Strait. The slogan "Let's fight our way back to the mainland and recover our lost territory" was their central policy. A political party and an administration with that kind of mindset naturally wouldn't pay much attention to construction in Taiwan.

At that time, the Taipei suburbs were still green farm-land. To plan a city upon a flat piece of land should not be difficult at all. Since the KMT admin-istration did not expect to stay in Taiwan for long, it didn't mind that locals and Chinese immigrants built houses anywhere they wanted.

Not surprisingly, as several decades went by, the metropolitan areas developed on the other side of the Tamsui River from Taipei appear messy, dirty, delineated by narrow streets and crowded with illegal structures. The hodgepodge has become an impasse and the KMT's blunders are to be shouldered by us and future generations.

The Luchou fire would not have been so devastating if the alleyways in Taipei County were not so narrow so that fire engines can barely make turns.

Another factor that made the rescue work difficult was all the motorcycles parked alongside the streets and lanes. Such clutter was also an inevitable outcome of the KMT government being reluctant to carry out long-term plans to build a mass transportation network. The KMT administration also tried to curb the use of bicycles which are environmentally friendly and conducive to good health simply to cater to the interest of motorcycle businesses.

The KMT delayed construction projects and deviated in its transportation policy. The agony caused by its blunders continues to be felt by the public. The pan-blue camp is in no position to criticize the administration about the Luchou tragedy. Instead, it should look back at the past mistakes it has made, discard its "one China" obsession and embrace Taiwan so as not to repeat its policy mistakes.

To make a fair observation about the rescue work during the Luchou fire, one must know that volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene within 10 minutes and got more than 30 residents out in no time at all. They rescued 112 people in all. Such efficiency deserves recognition. Political censure at this sad moment simply sounds more cold-blooded and ruthless. However, these inconsiderate remarks also reveal that those censurers are still full of the thinking of an alien regime, who obviously lack any love and compassion for Taiwan.

Huang Tien-lin is a national policy adviser to the president.

TRANSLATED BY JENNIE SHIH
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