Since the government first issued warnings of the virus, no comprehensive, aggressive disease control measures have been taken except for broadcasting a short informative clip from the Department of Health on TV and distributing flyers to advise the public to wash their hands frequently.
Ma may feel that national security meetings should not be called too often lest he abuse his powers. This way of thinking fits his back-seat approach to politics. But if Ma won’t use or does not know how to use security mechanisms — and given that National Security Council (NSC) officials are emulating Ma’s passivity — the question is whether there is any point in having the council.
It is pardonable that NSC staffers are not medical experts, but not that they seem to lack any sense of social and national security risks.
They must understand that threats to national security come in a variety of forms, both conventional and non-conventional.
Shu Chin-chiang is a former advisory committee member of the National Security Council.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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