President Chen Shui-bian (
The strange thing is that it is these powerful people who constantly ask Chen to improve the nation's economy. It seems there is nothing wrong with seeing the poor in the countryside suffering while the rich are whining about their dwindling incomes. Clearly, the latter will emerge as the winners if Chen falls for their tricks.
This phenomenon indicates a cruel fact: Too much of the nation's economy is concentrated in Taipei, where it is dominated by a handful of privileged people. Therefore, Chen has to come to his senses and re-establish a Taiwanese consciousness among the public rather than focusing all his attention on the economic growth rate.
Ever since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2000, it has indeed attempted to appeal to centrist voters by sidestepping the issue of the sovereignty of Taiwan, and some party members have even regarded the issue as a real vote loser. Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) unexpectedly took the opportunity to promote the idea of localization and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
I would like to suggest that the DPP should openly promote Taiwanese literature, art and music, and that the Ministry of Education should include the literary works of Taiwanese writers into the elementary school curriculum. The Examination Yuan could also include such works in their civil servant examination while the Council for Cultural Affairs could hold competitions with local Taiwanese themes.
In addition, Taiwan's media outlets are focused on Taipei and this has contributed to social tension. The just-concluded local government elections were obviously manipulated by the media outlets based in Taipei, and the results also catered to the expectations of people living in Taipei. Therefore, the government should move state-run media outlets out of Taipei in the near term.
As a result of the last dozen years of education reform, the proportion of students in cities, particularly Taipei, continuing their studies have increased, while schools in rural areas have become a shelter for incompetent teachers or temporary bases for teachers intending to transfer to better schools. This is also something the government has to deal with.
If Chen really wants to become a true president for all Taiwan, he should direct all his efforts toward enhancing culture and education, rebuilding the thinking of the Taiwanese public, and shaping the national spirit.
Bob Kuo is professor of information systems at the National Sun Yat-sen University.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
More than seven months into the armed conflict in Gaza, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the risk of genocide following a case brought by South Africa regarding Israel’s breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The international community, including Amnesty International, called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Several protests have been organized around the world, including at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and many other universities in the US.
Every day since Oct. 7 last year, the world has watched an unprecedented wave of violence rain down on Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories — more than 200 days of constant suffering and death in Gaza with just a seven-day pause. Many of us in the American expatriate community in Taiwan have been watching this tragedy unfold in horror. We know we are implicated with every US-made “dumb” bomb dropped on a civilian target and by the diplomatic cover our government gives to the Israeli government, which has only gotten more extreme with such impunity. Meantime, multicultural coalitions of US