Ma treats public like fools
When Changhua County prosecutors took samples at Ting Hsin International Group’s (頂新國際集團) Pingtung factory, both tallow and lard were found to contain very high levels of lead and copper. Chromium, which is not allowed in fat, was found in the tallow sample.
The Wei (魏) family, who operate Ting Hsin, are not only selling tainted oil, they are selling toxic oil.
The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) accepts that these unscrupulous companies harm public health and to this day has not been able to resolve the food safety scandal. In addition to its ineptitude, it is treating the public as if they were fools.
When the government noticed that the public launched a spontaneous boycott of Ting Hsin products, it became very afraid that it would hurt the Wei family, which it has protected for so long.
The administration acted as if it was also going to boycott Ting Hsin, but apart from talking about it, government officials have done nothing.
Ting Hsin remains adamant that it will not divest itself of its holdings in Taipei 101 and Wei Chuan Foods Corp (味全食品工業), nor have banks made strong demands that the company provide guarantees for certain loans.
In addition, the development of the Sanchong factory by one of its affiliates continues unabated.
The Ma administration is only putting on a show in the hope that the controversy dies down as time passes, while the rest of us still stand there as fools.
US President Barack Obama’s policy achievements have been less than stellar, and as a result, his party did badly at every level in the midterm elections this week, and he has now become a lame duck. One can only hope that this will be a lesson to Taiwanese.
Ma, who is doing worse than Obama both in terms of policy achievements and in opinion polls, should have stepped down a long time ago, but he still continues to cause trouble and harm the public. It really is the eighth wonder of the world.
If Taiwanese do not come to their senses and fail to use their vote to teach this ruling party — which does not care if we die and whose ruthlessness makes us all eat toxic oil — a lesson, then we are digging our own grave.
Then we really are the fools the government takes us for.
Yang Pin-kai
Taipei
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