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Editorial: Exploiting the dead

Monday was a sad day. It was sad not so much because it was Retrocession Day, a date once glorified by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and now almost redundant, but rather because three young men lost their lives in the line of duty as Typhoon Nock-Ten struck.

Chang Chao-yen (張朝彥), a Central Weather Bureau technician, died after an asthma attack suspected to have been induced by overwork. Chen Chih-hsiang (陳志祥), who was serving out his compulsory military service as an assistant to the fire department, died after he was washed away by floodwaters while pushing an ambulance that had broken down. And Alex Ping (平宗正), a Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) journalist, drowned while covering a typhoon-related story near a floodwater-diversion tunnel.

The death of the journalist in particular came as a sharp reminder of the occasional dangers inherent in working in the media, and at this newspaper there was a sense of loss in this regard.

However, what is most unfortunate is that the deaths of Chang and Chen were reported with next to no comment, unlike Ping, whose demise received wall-to-wall coverage. And now, focus has turned to how the press was invited to attend Premier Yu Shyi-kun's inspection of the Yuanshanzih Floodwater Diversion Channel, an inspection that was aborted after blocked roads forced Yu back.

This unfortunate set of circumstances has somehow provided political ammunition for some in the pan-blue camp, who accuse Yu of being "morally responsible" for the death of Ping. What can be said about this exploitative tactic? The most polite thing that this newspaper can say in response is that the efforts of extremist elements within the political community to stir up trouble will continue to be reported here, even if those efforts are informed by the basest and most immoral of instincts.

Based on the track records of such politicians, a confident assumption can be made: If Yu had not attempted to inspect the floodwater tunnel and a reporter had been killed there, the opportunists in question, such as People First Party Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), would have pointed their fingers at Yu regardless, accusing him of not having the guts to inspect a key installation which even the media covered -- at the cost of a life.

A demand that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) step down to take responsibility for the series of typhoons that followed his second inauguration would surely not be far behind.

Such diversionary tactics might amuse some, but the fact remains that legislators have immunity from prosecution for things said in legislative processes, and there are no effective mechanisms available to hold these people to account for gratuitous slurs on the character of any individual or organization.

So, the nation can feel proud of its democracy, because it liberates the speech of opposition legislators from government control. On the other hand, shame wells up inside when the dreadful caliber of these lawmakers is put on show.

It can only be hoped that December's legislative elections will see voters -- the ultimate arbiters of such behavior -- punish legislators of all political stripes who would exploit misfortune and death and put in their place politicians of good character who have some semblance of propriety.
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