Taiwanese really care about their bellies. Everyone has a stomach that needs to be filled — and filled with clean and healthy things. When someone bullies bellies, people are going to get angry. The Ting Hsin International Group (頂新集團) and its owners the Wei (魏) brothers have been doing this and they did not start yesterday.
People have had their fill of Ting Hsin’s unscrupulous ways, and its products are now the target of a nationwide boycott.
Unfortunately, corruption in Taiwan is not limited to food. National characteristics such as caring only about one’s own problems, sneering at the poor while tolerating the corrupt and worshiping wealth and power have kept the nation mired in corruption, as does the party-state system’s aptitude for manipulating these characteristics.
For the nation to renew itself, it must go beyond boycotting Ting Hsin and extend the boycott to corruption in general. For that to happen, the public needs a strong sense of justice and responsibility. When people see lawbreaking and abuses of power, they must be willing to stand up and expose them, appealing to both public opinion and the law.
In the late 19th century, the US was plagued by great inequality of wealth, corrupt politicians, profiteering businesses and exploitation of labor. These iniquities inspired the rise of an investigative journalism movement, involving progressive writers and activists who opened the door for much-needed reforms. This movement was able to succeed because of the strength it gained from people’s willingness to expose, journalists’ willingness to report and magazines’ willingness to publish, leaving no hiding place for the corrupt.
During the three decades of Martial Law imposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and in the more than 20 years since it ended, the nation has been immersed in authoritarianism and a culture of academic pedantry. During the Martial Law era, people learned to play safe by not getting involved, while timid media outlets avoided sensitive subjects.
Therefore, the basic conditions for a domestic media movement to investigate and expose such crimes have long been absent, but the external conditions for such a movement have now matured.
Ting Hsin’s use of questionable oils came to light because honest insiders felt compelled to do something about it. The scandal has highlighted issues of corruption, such as collusion between business and bureaucrats, special privileges awarded to businesses with the right connections, and a lack of concern for the public’s food safety.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration denies allegations that it received NT$1 billion (US$32.9 million) in political donations from Ting Hsin, saying that there is no evidence to support such a claim. This will be a big test of the integrity of people in the know in the Ting Hsin group, the Wei family and the KMT.
A billion-dollar deal is not one that can be delivered by one person with a suitcase full of bills. Maybe no one in the KMT has the integrity to tell the truth. However, the Wei brothers profess to be pious Buddhists. If they want to atone for their transgressions, maybe one of them will stand up and bring the evidence to light. That would be a big contribution to the fight against corruption in this country.
The Ting Hsin boycott could be a good chance for Taiwan to make headway against corruption. Only if corruption is cleaned up can there be hope for thorough reform.
James Wang is a political commentator.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.