No respect for any life
Again, Asian men demonstrated that they have no respect for life (“Jakarta executes drug traffickers,” April 30, page 6).
The death penalty is overwhelming maintained in Asian and Muslim countries, and many of these countries are also the worst offenders when it comes to destroying their ecosystems and over-exploiting natural resources. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Most Asian societies are still almost completely dominated by arrogant, self-centered, materialistic and often misogynistic men with anachronistic, fundamentalist, out-of-touch world views. Part and parcel of their biased world view is a disrespect for life, whether they are women, children, criminal offenders, foreigners or other life forms we share the planet with.
Examples? They are endless.
Chinese feminists were arrested in male-dominated China for advocating equal rights (“Feminists’ case highlights Beijing’s hostility toward civic action,” April 19, page 9), while women are routinely raped in India (“Father, brother, uncle arrested for rape of Indian teen,” April 13, page 5) and subjugated across much of the Muslim world (“IS commits ‘crimes against humanity,’” Nov. 16, 2014, page 6).
Violence against women (“Violence shatters myth of domestic bliss,” Feb. 26, 2014, page 12) and children (“Parents’ lonely search for missing kids,” Dec. 28, 2014, page 4) is common, and I have even witnessed it in the streets of Taipei, with bystanders doing absolutely nothing to help a defenseless and innocent child.
Even when used against murderers, the death penalty is in all circumstances nothing but state-sanctioned murder, and I am glad that the female journalist Gay Alcorn had the guts to say so in a recent editorial (http://tinyurl.com/mtplem9).
Racism remains widespread across the Asia, violent in the Muslim world and more hidden elsewhere, but can always bubble to the surface (“TVBS news channel accused of ‘racist’ reporting,” Aug. 1, 2014, page 1), in particular when Asians feel like they have “lost face” in front of a foreigner (“Racism is rife in Taiwan,” July 5, 2014, page 8). Of course, I am not talking about every Asian man, but the subset who pretty much control most Asian countries and who still feel that they would lose face if they were criticized, or, worse, had to admit that they were wrong and — God forbid — say sorry (“MRT killer sentenced to death,” March 7, page 1).
Finally, Asians apparently cannot help themselves but to eat and otherwise consume the last remnants of rare species from all across the world (ivory, rhino horns, whales, tigers, you name it), while Asia also experiences some of the highest destruction rates of its ecosystems, such as wetlands, forests, and coral reefs (“Timber mafia killing Borneo rainforest,” Oct. 26, 2010, page 9).
In the face of these pompous, self-righteous, all-powerful men of Asia with their pathetic attitudes and destructive behavior, all we can do is to show our utter disgust and disapproval. So show it.
Flora Faun
Taipei
Water supply and demand
The editorial on water rate bills raised many good points (Editorial, April 26, page 8). Many Taiwanese think that increased water bills are not the answer to water shortages. However, if food was priced in a manner similar to how water is priced, there would also be massive “food shortages,” complete with bread lines and ration booklets. According to the most basic principle of economics, only market pricing can keep supply and demand in equilibrium.
Whenever there is a water shortage, the government could simply institute a “temporary surcharge” on all water bills. The percentage would be whatever is necessary to make demand equal to supply. While higher prices might be inconvenient, isn’t it more inconvenient to have no running water for two out of every seven days?
Besides the hassle of using buckets, the lack of running water brings even more pressing concerns. For example, the public needs to be confident that food workers are washing their hands after using the toilet.
Paying a temporary surcharge is far better than risking the diseases that accompany 19th century sanitation levels.
In regard to the point that Taiwanese are not water wasters, conservation is not the only goal. Equally important is to increase future supply.
In basic economics, market price self-regulates supply and demand. When compared with the rest of the world, Taiwan gets more than adequate rainfall. However, most of that rainfall is lost due to inadequate infrastructure. Increased water revenues could be used to finance improved infrastructure, insuring adequate water supplies in future years.
While most water is used by industry and agriculture, I would like to propose a simple solution. Why not just charge all users a market rate rather than a subsidized rate? Instead of using the heavy hand of government to dictate usage, we could let the market self-regulate. And if there is a concern about lost jobs, the government can give subsidies in other ways.
Finally, most people understand that raising water prices would “increase the financial burden on many people who are already suffering.” However, while economic hardship is a serious problem, the solution is not government micro-management of water use.
There are other ways to address economic hardship. To help lower-income families, the government could offer a flat “water credit” based on income. Wouldn’t that be better than giving cheap water to everyone — including wealthy people — at the expense of basic sanitation?
Tim Lee
Las Vegas, Nevada
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
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.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath