The image of the nation’s law enforcement authorities was severely tarnished by the visit to Taiwan in November last year of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
During the visit, the public witnessed police infringe on the rights and freedom of expression of Taiwanese by confiscating flags and other items without legitimate reason, stopping and questioning people who wore T-shirts that read “Taiwan is my country” and ordering a music store located near a hotel where Chen was dining to shut down because it was playing the Song of Taiwan, claiming the music was too loud.
Granted, police were acting under orders, but their abusive and arrogant behavior was a sad departure from the public image of officers as helpful public servants.
Unfortunately, such a negative image was reinforced on Tuesday night when clashes erupted between police, security agents and supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party in Hsinchu County. News footage showed some police and security agents pushing and shoving to force pan-green supporters to give way ahead of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) arrival.
As it is the police’s duty to maintain order, they deserve respect for doing their job. The same applies to the president’s security detail, whose primary task is to keep him out of harm’s way. The question is whether it was necessary for police to act in such an aggressive and abusive manner against people who were simply exercising their right to campaign and did not mean any harm to the president.
Some may also recall how Tainan City Police Bureau Commissioner Chen Fu-hsiang (陳富祥) was transferred and slapped with a demerit in October last year for allegedly failing to protect ARATS Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), who fell and lost his glasses in a scuffle with independence activists during a visit to Tainan’s Confucius Temple. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) also asked to be disciplined to take responsibility for the matter.
Contrast this with the police’s response to two recent crimes: A man was robbed of NT$77 million (US$2.38 million) by gunmen in Tainan City in the biggest cash heist in the country in recent history; another man was shot at least 10 times in broad daylight in Tainan County’s Yongkang City (永康市) on Tuesday.
However, as of yesterday, higher police authorities had yet to dedicate themselves to solving the crimes to a level comparable to that for the Zhang incident. This creates the impression that police are more interested in carrying out partisan politics than fighting crime and bringing criminals to justice.
Ma has often stressed the importance of public opinion, lecturing his government and government officials to be mindful of the public’s feelings. The NPA and the National Security Bureau would do well to heed Ma’s advice.
With the local government elections less than two weeks away, political campaigns, activities, public exchanges are expected to intensify. The least we can expect is that the nation’s law enforcement officers remain impartial and do their job rather than currying favor with higher authorities.
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Much like the first round on July 26, Saturday’s second wave of recall elections — this time targeting seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers — also failed. With all 31 KMT legislators who faced recall this summer secure in their posts, the mass recall campaign has come to an end. The outcome was unsurprising. Last month’s across-the-board defeats had already dealt a heavy blow to the morale of recall advocates and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while bolstering the confidence of the KMT and its ally the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). It seemed a foregone conclusion that recalls would falter, as
The fallout from the mass recalls and the referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant continues to monopolize the news. The general consensus is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been bloodied and found wanting, and is in need of reflection and a course correction if it is to avoid electoral defeat. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has not emerged unscathed, either, but has the opportunity of making a relatively clean break. That depends on who the party on Oct. 18 picks to replace outgoing KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫). What is certain is that, with the dust settling
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) on Thursday last week urged democratic nations to boycott China’s military parade on Wednesday next week. The parade, a grand display of Beijing’s military hardware, is meant to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. While China has invited world leaders to attend, many have declined. A Kyodo News report on Sunday said that Japan has asked European and Asian leaders who have yet to respond to the invitation to refrain from attending. Tokyo is seeking to prevent Beijing from spreading its distorted interpretation of wartime history, the report
RSS