Lee Byung-Chull, the late founder of the South Korean conglomerate, Samsung Group, wrote in his biography: "Two Koreans can form three political parties." He was referring to the disunity among Koreans, as well as to their extreme and flighty character.
There have been similar comments about the Chinese too, the most famous being Sun Yat-sen's (孫中山) remark during the revolution against the Ching dynasty -- that the Chinese are like "a mass of loose sand" (一盤散沙).
At a time when revolution necessitated centralized leadership and control, "unity" was the authorities' foremost demand upon the populace. Loyalty to the state was a sacred duty. In our time of democratization and globilization, however, centralized leadership defers to pluralism. No one cares whether the populace is united; no one cares whether the people want to become a plate of loose sand. Authorities have no control over how many political parties are formed. The myriad factions within political parties and sub-factions within those factions no longer come as surprises to anyone.
In this respect, the travails of Chen Shui-bian's
Many people have been left dazed and confused by these spats. Even the communist cadres across the Taiwan Strait cannot stand all the shenanigans and have refused to play ball with Taiwan for the time being (Beijing is not in a hurry to resume dialogue with Taiwan, according to news reports). Are these developments worthy of praise?
Politics in Taiwan has been pluralized to the extent of perplexity -- no one knows what to make of them. This in a way is an asset for us because "no policy is the best policy." This is exactly the key to Taiwan's survival.
What's more, although the traffic lights of Taiwan politics are broken, we are still progressing slowly, snaking our way through the snarling congestion -- demonstrating Taiwan's essential, world-famous "motor scooter culture." If this were South Korea, the traffic would remain stuck at intersections for at least two hours. The beauty of Taiwan society is that the Taiwanese can stay elastic in their wishy-washiness and maintain some kind of order amid the chaos.
The long decades of colonial rule taught the Taiwanese a useful philosophy for dealing with the world -- to make the best of a bad bargain. Fifty years of sufferings and frustrations have endowed our society with a strong capacity for self-healing. No matter how precipitously domestic politics has slid, no matter how isolated Taiwan has become in the international community, its people can adapt. This is also a reason why the Taiwanese cannot be so easily fooled no matter what flowery rhetoric they hear from their politicians.
In fact, Taiwan's pluralistic society is an epitome of a "globalized" society as described by Thomas Friedman. In an era of globalization and democratization, the people will no longer acquiesce to authoritarian leadership and strongman rule. How long will it take for Beijing's cadres to learn how to deal with this new Taiwan, with its "order amid chaos" and "policy without a policy?" If the Chinese are still at a loss, then they will perhaps do well to leave Taiwan alone and work instead to tidy up their own economy.
Rich Chu is associate editor-in-chief of the Taipei Times.
Taiwan faces complex challenges like other Asia-Pacific nations, including demographic decline, income inequality and climate change. In fact, its challenges might be even more pressing. The nation struggles with rising income inequality, declining birthrates and soaring housing costs while simultaneously navigating intensifying global competition among major powers. To remain competitive in the global talent market, Taiwan has been working to create a more welcoming environment and legal framework for foreign professionals. One of the most significant steps in this direction was the enactment of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) in 2018. Subsequent amendments in
The recent passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known to many as “Big S,” due to influenza-induced pneumonia at just 48 years old is a devastating reminder that the flu is not just a seasonal nuisance — it is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Hsu, a beloved actress and cultural icon who shaped the memories of many growing up in Taiwan, should not have died from a preventable disease. Yet her death is part of a larger trend that Taiwan has ignored for too long — our collective underestimation of the flu and our low uptake of the
US President Donald Trump on Saturday signed orders to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China effective from today. Trump decided to slap 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada as well as 10 percent on those coming from China, but would only impose a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products, including oil and electricity. Canada and Mexico on Sunday quickly responded with retaliatory tariffs against the US, while countermeasures from China are expected soon. Nevertheless, Trump announced yesterday to delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month and said he would hold further talks with
Taiwan’s undersea cables connecting it to the world were allegedly severed several times by a Chinese ship registered under a flag of convenience. As the vessel sailed, it used several different automatic identification systems (AIS) to create fake routes. That type of “shadow fleet” and “gray zone” tactics could create a security crisis in Taiwan and warrants response measures. The concept of a shadow fleet originates from the research of Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. The phenomenon was initiated by authoritarian countries such as Iran, North Korea and Russia, which have been hit by international economic