Every year the approach of the Lunar New Year usually brings with it a feeling of anticipation. This year, however, a feeling of gloom is quite obvious among a majority of the people of Taiwan. To overcome this feeling, many people are placing their hopes in the dreams of wealth generated by the new computerized lottery. Every time they put down NT$50 on a ticket, they fantasize that it will be their passport to paradise.
The lottery craze is not so much a sign of greed as it is a way of easing the difficult pressures of daily life, to indulge in a bit of fun amid all the pain and release some of the blues.
Taiwan's economy has been in the doldrums for a year, with economic indicators falling to rock bottom. People are yearning for some ray of sunshine, some indication that good times will return.
Fortunately for Taiwan, those in the mainstream of public opinion were willing to step forward during last month's legislative elections and cast their ballots for the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU). The two parties will take the lead in legislative affairs over the next three years and will provide a new driving force toward better quality work at the Legislative Yuan. This new impetus is also reflected in the make-up of the "combat Cabinet" that has been taking shape in recent days. The quality of the appointees can't help but raise expectations that the Cabinet will be able to lead Taiwan out of the economic wilderness into the Canaan of social prosperity.
The Chen Shui-bian (
To live up to their depiction as a "combat" Cabinet, the new ministers and agency heads should move quickly, drop any expectations of a honeymoon period and not make any excuses about being new hands. The people want a government with ability and foresight.
There are no shortcuts to a better life and the majority of the people know that -- despite the lottery fever sweeping the nation. It takes hard work to build a better future.
The new Cabinet should work to improve Taiwan's investment and living environment and solidly build Taiwan into a green technology island that no longer seeks economic development at the expense of the environment. This is what the people of Taiwan hope for the future. It is also the direction A-bian's government should work toward.
In an article published in Newsweek on Monday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged China to retake territories it lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. “If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai asked, referring to territories lost in 1858 and 1860. The territories once made up the two flanks of northern Manchuria. Once ceded to Russia, they became part of the Russian far east. Claims since then have been made that China and Russia settled the disputes in the 1990s through the 2000s and that “China
China has successfully held its Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with 53 of 55 countries from the African Union (AU) participating. The two countries that did not participate were Eswatini and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which have no diplomatic relations with China. Twenty-four leaders were reported to have participated. Despite African countries complaining about summit fatigue, with recent summits held with Russia, Italy, South Korea, the US and Indonesia, as well as Japan next month, they still turned up in large numbers in Beijing. China’s ability to attract most of the African leaders to a summit demonstrates that it is still being
Trips to the Kenting Peninsula in Pingtung County have dredged up a lot of public debate and furor, with many complaints about how expensive and unreasonable lodging is. Some people even call it a tourist “butchering ground.” Many local business owners stake claims to beach areas by setting up parasols and driving away people who do not rent them. The managing authority for the area — Kenting National Park — has long ignored the issue. Ultimately, this has affected the willingness of domestic travelers to go there, causing tourist numbers to plummet. In 2008, Taiwan opened the door to Chinese tourists and in
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday was handcuffed and escorted by police to the Taipei Detention Center, after the Taipei District Court ordered that he be detained and held incommunicado for suspected corruption during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The ruling reversed an earlier decision by the same court on Monday last week that ordered Ko’s release without bail. That decision was appealed by prosecutors on Wednesday, leading the High Court to conclude that Ko had been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and it ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Video clips
RSS