After coming under fire for not standing up for Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) in the immediate aftermath of her controversial disqualification from the Asian Games last week, the government finally caught on two days later, holding a press conference on Friday pledging to seek justice for Yang.
However, despite the action undertaken by members of the public who, on their own initiative, gave Yang a hero’s welcome upon her arrival in Taipei on Monday, the government has done little to show that it is determined to follow through on its vow to defend Yang’s name and dignity.
After watching government inaction and listening to officials’ rhetoric, many wonder if President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration is sincere in saying that it will seek justice, or if it is merely hoping that making promises is enough to quell public outrage.
The Ma government said it would offer reasonable compensation to Yang, with Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) adding that Yang would be treated as a gold medalist. It turns out, however, that Yang may not get the NT$3 million (US$98,000) cash award usually presented to gold medal winners, with Wu saying the Sports Affairs Council would have to convene a meeting to determine whether the money would be issued to Yang as a cash award or in the form of a fund for the purpose of training.
The Ma government called for a probe into Yang’s controversial disqualification. With an Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) investigation still under way, why was the premier so quick and so certain when he defended ATU vice president Zhao Lei (趙磊) on Monday, saying that Zhao did not play a role in Yang’s disqualification?
The Ma government said it would stand behind Yang and fight for fair treatment. The ATU later apologized for posting an article on its Web site accusing Yang and the Taiwan team of cheating, but the apology was only made in a private meeting. If the Ma government is interested in clearing Yang’s name, it should demand that the ATU post the apology on its Web site to make it clear that Yang is not a cheater. In view of the rampant articles in the Chinese media branding Yang a cheater, shouldn’t the Ma government order the Government Information Office to issue a rebuttal or demand that Chinese media correct their libelous reports?
The Ma government said it would seek justice for Yang. Its plan to abandon filing the case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport and instead sue World Taekwondo Federation secretary-general Yang Jin-suk in Guangzhou, China, for slander and forgery perplexes many. Aside from the murky legal proceedings, one prominent question also rings in the minds of many: Can a local court in China restore justice to Yang as effectively as the Court of Arbitration for Sport could?
The unfair disqualification has sparked indignation among Taiwanese. However, it would be even more despicable if the Taiwanese athlete’s own government were to play a part in covering up the real culprit of the unfair ruling and fails to keep its pledge to stand up for its athletes’ rights.
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
Legislators of the opposition parties, consisting of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), on Friday moved to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德). They accused Lai of undermining the nation’s constitutional order and democracy. For anyone who has been paying attention to the actions of the KMT and the TPP in the legislature since they gained a combined majority in February last year, pushing through constitutionally dubious legislation, defunding the Control Yuan and ensuring that the Constitutional Court is unable to operate properly, such an accusation borders the absurd. That they are basing this
RSS