An alleged game-rigging scandal involving the dmedia T-Rex team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League recently surfaced. Players were questioned by prosecutors, while team managers are also under suspicion. Taiwan has seen repeated game-fixing scandals, but they used to involve only players. Although fans have been hurt by the latest scandal, they have given baseball teams another chance.
Fairness, which is strongly emphasized in competitive sports, not only gives athletes a sense of honor, but the competition itself also creates other lofty values beyond winning or losing, and thus lets the audiences share in the glory. This is why fans keep returning to watch the game.
However, when the fairness of the entire sport is placed in doubt, when both players and managers are suspected of cheating, the honor of the whole enterprise dissipates; players no longer respect their industry and fans lose interest.
Frequent game-rigging cases have disappointed fans and left them apathetic. How could they ever be expected to show their enthusiasm again?
Precisely in the same way that competitive sports inspire people, the nation’s leaders should create a sense of honor that can be shared by the public, and they should arouse a sense of honor in public servants who can then lead the public toward building a sense of honor belonging to the nation as a whole.
However, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who apparently deceived the public for many years, used to say in all sincerity that “you should behave in a way that is compatible with what you are” while he allegedly secretly engaged in irregularities.
Worse yet, the former head of the Investigation Bureau, Yeh Sheng-mao (葉盛茂), who was responsible for fighting crime, has been linked to Chen’s scandal.
Collusion between government officials is similar to the collusion among teams in the latest baseball scandal. The confidence of the public in the government has been considerably eroded by corruption cases.
The first national day after the second transition of power has just passed. Although the splendor and dazzle of the gala could have kindled public passion, fundamentally we still hope that the person in power is able to learn from the past and exercise the needed responsibility in governing the country, restoring and holding onto fundamental social values.
Maybe this could help revive long-lost justice and rekindle a sense of public honor.
Chin Chi-chin is professor of science application and dissemination and dean of the College of Science at National Taichung University.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), former chairman of Broadcasting Corp of China and leader of the “blue fighters,” recently announced that he had canned his trip to east Africa, and he would stay in Taiwan for the recall vote on Saturday. He added that he hoped “his friends in the blue camp would follow his lead.” His statement is quite interesting for a few reasons. Jaw had been criticized following media reports that he would be traveling in east Africa during the recall vote. While he decided to stay in Taiwan after drawing a lot of flak, his hesitation says it all: If
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) first suggested a mass recall of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, the Taipei Times called the idea “not only absurd, but also deeply undemocratic” (“Lai’s speech and legislative chaos,” Jan. 6, page 8). In a subsequent editorial (“Recall chaos plays into KMT hands,” Jan. 9, page 8), the paper wrote that his suggestion was not a solution, and that if it failed, it would exacerbate the enmity between the parties and lead to a cascade of revenge recalls. The danger came from having the DPP orchestrate a mass recall. As it transpired,
Sitting in their homes typing on their keyboards and posting on Facebook things like, “Taiwan has already lost its democracy,” “The Democratic Progressive Party is a party of green communists,” or “President William Lai [賴清德] is a dictator,” then turning around and heading to the convenience store to buy a tea egg and an iced Americano, casually chatting in a Line group about which news broadcast was more biased this morning — are such people truly clear about the kind of society in which they are living? This is not meant to be sarcasm or criticism, but an exhausted honesty.
Much has been said about the significance of the recall vote, but here is what must be said clearly and without euphemism: This vote is not just about legislative misconduct. It is about defending Taiwan’s sovereignty against a “united front” campaign that has crept into the heart of our legislature. Taiwanese voters on Jan. 13 last year made a complex decision. Many supported William Lai (賴清德) for president to keep Taiwan strong on the world stage. At the same time, some hoped that giving the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) a legislative majority would offer a