Taiwan’s new course
In a discussion and review of former US president Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural address, I have come to realize that the contents have coincided with the development of Taiwan in a holistic and global context, and more specifically, amid the current global upheaval.
In his speech, Reagan pinpointed several thought-provoking issues, such as “economic ills,” “education,” “government,” “unemployment rate” and “heroic dreams.”
These social, economic, political and educational issued are pervasive all over the world today, especially in Taiwan during the current campaign for next month’s presidential election.
A nation’s foundation is its economy, which has a close connection to public infrastructure, retirement benefits, social welfare and health insurance.
Let’s take inventory of Taiwan’s economic situation.
The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. The rich are able to buy more than one luxurious house, while poor people have to work very hard to make ends meet. Some people cannot even find a job to raise their families.
The government should plan social welfare policies without damaging the economy. It can cut unnecessary spending from the budget of its institutions.
For example, the Greater Taichung Council spends NT$9 million (US$296,000) a year for the lunch boxes handed out at council meetings. They should give that money to people who cannot afford a lunch instead of public servants.
Taiwan’s educational problems stem from a system that spoonfeeds students to help them receive the highest possible scores on college and high-school entrance exams. This erodes students’ practical learning and stifles much of their creativity.
Another problem is that many parents are unable to afford tuition. The government should make money available to families who cannot afford tuition. With a good education, students from poor families could obtain higher-paying jobs.
Also, the government should help students who are not interested in learning from textbooks, but who are interested in developing other abilities. For example, students could learn how to be chefs, bakers, designers or hairdressers. Education needs to change its focus from entrance exams, to the development of minds.
Last, but not least, the government should be downsized.
“Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people,” Reagan said in his inaugural address.
The government is composed of an elite group, to whom the public bestows the power to decide national affairs, to make laws and to enhance the welfare for all Taiwanese.
However, the government neglects to hear the voice of the public. Taiwan does not have to spend NT$200 million in one day to celebrate a national holiday; it should spend that money to help disadvantaged families, elderly people who live alone and orphans.
Each presidential candidate should clearly define strategies and policies of how to solve the problems of the nation’s educational system and economic crisis, rather than wasting their efforts on attacking each other. Taiwan needs innovative and visionary leaders to safeguard its future.
No matter which party is elected, it must strive for economic and political reforms. The government should prioritize the public’s welfare and derive the maximum benefit from a limited budget.
If Taiwan wants to change, Taiwanese must act now.
Mia Lin
Taipei
Because much of what former US president Donald Trump says is unhinged and histrionic, it is tempting to dismiss all of it as bunk. Yet the potential future president has a populist knack for sounding alarums that resonate with the zeitgeist — for example, with growing anxiety about World War III and nuclear Armageddon. “We’re a failing nation,” Trump ranted during his US presidential debate against US Vice President Kamala Harris in one particularly meandering answer (the one that also recycled urban myths about immigrants eating cats). “And what, what’s going on here, you’re going to end up in World War
Earlier this month in Newsweek, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to retake the territories lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. He stated: “If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t [the PRC] take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the treaty of Aigun?” This was a brilliant political move to finally state openly what many Chinese in both China and Taiwan have long been thinking about the lost territories in the Russian far east: The Russian far east should be “theirs.” Granted, Lai issued
On Tuesday, President William Lai (賴清德) met with a delegation from the Hoover Institution, a think tank based at Stanford University in California, to discuss strengthening US-Taiwan relations and enhancing peace and stability in the region. The delegation was led by James Ellis Jr, co-chair of the institution’s Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region project and former commander of the US Strategic Command. It also included former Australian minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne, influential US academics and other former policymakers. Think tank diplomacy is an important component of Taiwan’s efforts to maintain high-level dialogue with other nations with which it does
On Sept. 2, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal called “The US and Taiwan Must Change Course” that defends his position that the US and Taiwan are not doing enough to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from taking Taiwan. Colby is correct, of course: the US and Taiwan need to do a lot more or the PRC will invade Taiwan like Russia did against Ukraine. The US and Taiwan have failed to prepare properly to deter war. The blame must fall on politicians and policymakers