No place for politics
As a physician who used to work at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, I oppose the unfair description of the hospital in the Taipei Times’ editorial in reference to former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) (Editorial, Feb. 21, page 8).
The editorial said that clashes between the hospital team and Chen Shun-sheng (陳順勝) caused the public to wonder whether the government is hiding something about Chen’s true status. It implies that the hospital team is helping the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration to cover up the alleged deterioration of Chen Shui-bian’s physical and mental health.
One cannot rule out the possibility that the team was acting wrongly, as implied in the editorial. However, the crux of the issue remains, how can Chen Shun-sheng assert any level of certainty that the diagnosis rendered by the team is wrong and his own is right?
Different physicians often hold different opinions toward a patient’s condition. At the interactive sessions of medical conferences, when a “challenging case” is presented, seldom is there an “unanimous” opinion among physicians.
When people question whether the hospital team’s opinion is politically motivated, is it not plausible that Chen Shun-sheng’s opinion is also politically motivated, driven by the desire to secure medical parole for Chen Shui-bian?
The editorial also cited Chen Shui-bian’s “deteriorated physical and mental condition” as evidence of Ma’s indifference to human rights.
Certainly, Ma does not have a sound track record when it comes to protecting human rights, yet the cited relationship between imprisonment and that of deteriorating health is very questionable. For example, just two weeks ago a middle-aged physician friend of mine suddenly dropped dead. Three days prior to his sudden passing, he seemed to me healthy, without any sign of demise. Were my friend’s human rights being violated because he died suddenly? Of course not. Unexplained things happen; people get sick, imprisoned or not.
As a physician, I choose to trust that both the hospital’s physicians and Chen Shun-sheng have done their best, according to their ability and judgement.
I sincerely hope the dividing tactics employed by politicians from both the blue and the green camp find no place in medicine.
Tiffany Hsiao
Rockville, Maryland
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry