Confucius (
Taipei City Government spokesman Yang Hsiao-tung (
Regrettably the Presidential Office was removed from the simplified Chinese version of tourist maps prepared by the city government for distribution at the expo. The Presidential Office was represented by only a picture of a building without its proper name indicated.
What's more, the name "Taipei City Government" was ridiculously changed to "Taipei Exploration Museum."
So much for promoting Taiwan's tourist attractions when their names are not correctly indicated on a map.
In its defense, the city government argued that the names were changed to avoid a replay of an incident several years ago when maps that indicated the Presidential Office were banned from distribution by the Beijing authorities at a tourism expo.
This recent incident vividly brings to mind a debacle that took place six years ago during Ma Ying-jeou's (
Ma asked soccer fans not to bring the national flag to the 2001 AFC Women's Championship games at the city's soccer stadium.
While Chinese flags could be waved inside the stadium, Taipei police officers were instructed by Ma to confiscate, by force if necessary, Republic of China flags from patriotic Taiwanese fans who simply wanted to cheer on their team.
Six years later, the mayor of the country's capital might have changed but the pathetic mentality of surrender seems to linger.
It is regrettable that the Taipei City Government, fearing China's saber-rattling, chose to give up its identity, its name and that of a building representing Taiwan's leader through an act of self-censorship that China encourages among its citizens.
It is also pathetic to see the Taipei City Government toeing Beijing's line and letting Taiwan's dignity be trampled without putting up a fight.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) often talks out loud about upholding the Republic of China's sovereignty and dignity.
But where is Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
With this kind of conformity, Beijing wouldn't need to fire a single missile to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan would simply lay down without a fight.
Considering the country's fragile geopolitical circumstances, Taiwan needs fewer cowardly officials and more courageous ones -- people who have the guts to stand up to China's barking and growling.
No Taiwanese should give anyone the opportunity to insult and degrade his or her country, especially officials who are elected to serve that country or some part of it.
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