Sportsmanship in need
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has continued his attacks on the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for its poor upkeep of Taiwan Taoyuan Airport, corruption and closed-door policy, reportedly with tears in his eyes (“Ma presses attack on DPP,” Aug. 9, page 3).
Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) announced his withdrawal from the DPP and officially launched his election bid for Greater Kaohsiung mayor as an independent (“Yang launches Greater Kaohsiung bid,” Aug. 10, page 1).
These two seemingly unrelated stories have one thing in common: Both Ma and Yang lack, but need, sportsmanship.
Ma has been in power for more than two years and his administration is responsible for the maintenance of the international airport, among others. He is unqualified to criticize former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) corruption case since Ma now controls a vast partisan asset stolen from the Taiwanese.
Ma’s open-door policy with China is also not appreciated by Taiwanese, and he should not place “blame on the curved river when he does not know how to steer the ship,” as the Taiwanese saying goes. Instead, he should upgrade his popularity by improving his policies and performance.
Yang, on the other hand, should accept his defeat in the DPP primaries in May and wholeheartedly support the winner, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), for the sake of himself, the DPP and Taiwan. His entering the race only helps the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate. He should review the odds of historical cases where two candidates from one party have run and give up his candidacy with courage.
The public hopes that Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) is smart enough not to run as an independent candidate for Greater Tainan mayor.
CHARLES HONG
Columbus, Ohio
Safeguard Taiwan
The rise and decline of power is nothing unusual, as we have seen in the course of human history.
It’s like the way yin and yang — the two opposite yet integrated and interdependent forces — constantly adjust and rebalance, as the Chinese believe.
And it would be fortunate for the world if China abides by the principles of justice and rule of law, upholds liberty and democracy and respects human rights. Then the whole world would benefit from the renaissance of the unique Chinese civilization and its contributions to the new world order.
However, the resurrection of the historical East Asian empire has turned out to be otherwise; it is beginning to cast an ominous cloud over the western Pacific as the influence of the US declines and its naval power plateaus.
In the face of such a stark reality, the democratic West has no other alternative but to face up to the situation and accommodate the new power in a symbiotic global society and work out ways to maintain international peace and safety.
By the same token, accommodation can be taken too far. Making room for a new superpower should not be confused with giving way to it; it should be disciplined and hedged.
As the May/June issue of Foreign Affairs insisted: “moral progress in international affairs is [an] American goal” and “America should adhere to the values it professes and not to compromise or cower in matters of principle.”
As the champion of democracy and the guardian of liberty and human rights, the US should maintain its credibility with its allies. Let’s keep democratic Taiwan safe and independent until China becomes more integrated with the international community, with a liberal society for its oppressed people and, not the least, its oppressed minority ethnic groups
ANDREW CHANG
Peoria, Arizona
Film shares Taiwan’s story
The film Formosa Betrayed has a clear political stance, which the producer, Will Tiao (刁毓能), in interviews with the Taipei Times has clearly stated (“Actor hints at meddling in movie,” July 31, page 3, and “Producer brings Taiwan’s history to the big screen,” Aug. 2, page 3). Apparently it is a movie with a political mission, expressed in an entertaining way.
As what inspires the movie are true political events and murder cases, should we critique the film by documentary standards or by artistic standards? It is produced in an entertaining Hollywood way so that everyone can easily understand Taiwan’s historical facts and the difficulties it faces today. It is the first international movie to do so. At the bottom of this film is the voice of Taiwan.
NI KUO-JUNG
Hsinchu City
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