A key staff member in KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan's (
However, speech communication experts said the case was symptomatic of the last stage of a campaign filled with cursing and obscene language.
Lin Hsiang-nung (
"My language might be regarded as offensive to some, but this is not the case," Lin said at a press conference yesterday.
"In a cordial atmosphere, I blurted out an improper word inadvertently," said Lin, suggesting the "slang" he used was commonplace among the discussions he had with friends during post-quake reconstruction work.
Instead of calming many of those who had taken offense at the remark, Lin's apology was used by opposing candidates' camps to fuel even more controversy.
DPP women legislators Yeh Yi-jin (
As voting day approaches, sharp skirmishes between the candidates' camps have been intensified by the increasingly common use of obscene remarks.
Independent candidate James Soong (
Lien once teased DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian (
In addition, certain anti-James Soong (
Speech communication experts said that using such obscenities to attack opponents during campaign rallies might benefit those hurling the insults, but it is far from beneficial to the public reading about such activities later in newspapers.
"Political figures who use such language at rallies would probably prefer to take back those insults should they ever try some strategic thinking," said Yu Tzu-shiang (游梓翔), an associate professor at Shih Hsin University's department of speech communication.
"The insulting actions relayed by television can create a lasting negative impression on the viewing public," Yu said, adding that the audience might not "empathize" with those at the scene of such events, because second-hand reports often simplify the real situation.
Yu said that some candidates had proved themselves poor role models by acting improperly and bandying about obscenities at rallies.
"Bad language, like calling someone `wolf-hearted and dog-lunged' (
Even making jokes about other candidates' personalities can be damaging, he said.
"Children will be confused by such practices. Parents and schoolteachers would never tolerate such behavior," Yu said, referring to the fact that would-be leaders of Taiwan should at least try to be thinking about being role models for society.
It is a worrying trend, Yu said, as the use of cursing and sexual innuendo in the current campaign is a sure sign that social values in Taiwan are deteriorating.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2