In reference to your editorial ("Cure needed for the political flu," Oct. 25, page 8).
Pope Benedict XVI said on April 21 that his "primary task" would be to work without fail to reunify all Christians and that sentiment alone was not enough.
"Concrete acts that enter souls and move consciences are needed," he said.
Taiwan now desperately needs political leaders who possess the Pope's vision and determination. Otherwise, the nation will go down the drain in the not too distant future.
Fortunately, I have seen one political figure whose words and deeds have entered souls and moved consciences. This person is none other than Chen Chu(陳菊), the former chairwoman of the Council of Labor Affairs, who stepped down in the wake of the Thai workers riot. When she tendered her resignation last month, she said, "As a public official, I should not simply criticize myself but must take responsibility based on the most rigorous standards and values for which I decided to participate in the democratic movement. ... I should use the most modest attitude to take full responsibility in order to rebuild the confidence of the people in the government."
She also said that the Thai workers incident had "undoubtedly caused harm to our national image" and "I must again apologize to our citizens and all workers."
"I have made this decision only based on my concept of political responsibility and my self-demands on human rights standards," she said, adding that her resolve to uphold human rights was "more important than political interests or election."
By taking the heat and bowing out gracefully, Chen has set a good example for others to follow. She is a lady with a brave conscience, which I believe is the best kind of cure for Taiwan's political flu.
A house divided cannot stand. The public is exhausted by the language of the political rivals. People cannot stand the mudslinging any longer. The nation has come to the point where Taiwan's leaders, from all political backgrounds, need to prove their bravery with words and concrete acts in order to save our beloved island from sinking further into the mire.
David Tzou
Taipei
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations