Netizens yesterday criticized Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) for blaming the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) for some local governments’ misjudgement in calling a half-day typhoon day on Tuesday, saying Chao was attempting to shift the responsibility away from the party’s mayors and county commissioners.
Chao on Tuesday asked Central Weather Bureau Director-General Shin Tzay-chyn (辛在勤) to apologize for the inaccurate forecasts that led local governments in the south to declare only a half-day typhoon day on Tuesday as Typhoon Megi swept across the nation.
Local residents criticized the decision after they had to commute in bad weather, with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠), Chiayi Mayor Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) and Yunlin County Commissioner Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) all apologizing for the decision.
Photo: CNA
Chao said the bureau’s forecast at 4pm on Monday suggested that the wind speeds in Kaohsiung on Tuesday morning would meet the requirement to suspend classes and work, but the bureau later lowered its estimated wind speeds to below the requirement.
The bureau did not make any adjustment to the predicted wind speeds thereafter, leading local governments to announce school and office closures only for Tuesday afternoon.
The wind speed on Tuesday morning reached Level 10 on the Beaufort scale, which met the requirement to announce a typhoon day.
“Director Shin please stop saying useless things and apologize for your inaccurate forecasts,” Chao wrote on Facebook after Shin said that local governments were looking for the bureau to “take the bullet” for their misjudgement.
All of the bureau’s forecasts were inaccurate, so local governments made an incorrect decision because they were misinformed, Chao wrote.
“Director Shin please make a humble apology to the nation and make every effort to make Taiwan’s weather forecasts more accurate,” Chao added.
However, netizens criticized Chao’s remarks, saying they were politically motivated to shift the responsibility off of the party’s mayors and county commissioners and onto a scientific body.
“Even if you do not have the guts to take the consequences of making an incorrect decision, you should not show the worst of yourself to protect your bosses,” a netizen wrote.
“While [President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) pledge] to be humble, humble, humble is still fresh, the [government] has adopted a blame, blame, blame attitude,” another wrote.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee deputy director Tang Te-ming (唐德明) said if the bureau was accountable for declaring typhoon days, there would be no need for mayors and county commissioners.
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