Two types of leaders have emerged in Taiwan's fight against SARS. One is those who don't know how to lead, such as Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
In early April, when National Taiwan University was leading the fight against SARS and the situation was stable, Ma and his city government demonstrated their robust ambitions by engaging in confrontations with the central government. After Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital was closed, however, the epidemic entered a critical period and the city government fell into disarray.
Ma, who had always stood on the front line, fled at one point. Many mistakes popped up in the Bureau of Health, Bureau of Civil Affairs and the Department of Information. Yeh Chin-chuan (
Ma gradually returned to the front line afterward and tried to salvage his image, but his weakness was beyond amend. The more critical a situation, the more it highlights his true colors -- an impressive-looking but useless "media darling."
After the crisis at the Hoping Hospital, the virus spread to the rest of the country. The central government stepped up accountability and investigation tactics to stop the deteriorating situation, but the Taipei City Government didn't know how to pursue accountability and flip-flopped repeatedly.
The Bureau of Health was fuzzy about its rewards and punishments, so much so that even Yeh couldn't stand it anymore. The handout issued by the city government to explain the apportioning of blame backfired. The more the city government tried to wash its hands of responsibility, the more it highlighted the fact it was trying to pass the buck.
What's worse, when the Control Yuan launched an investigation into possible negligence in Hoping Hospital's closure and started questioning people, Ma repeatedly refused to be questioned, saying Deputy Mayor Ou Chin-der (
The best thing Chen did in the fight against SARS was during the period of Hoping Hospital's closure, when he demanded concerted effort between the central and local governments. After that, however, he retreated to the rear. He did not step forward to lead even when the uproar over masks and isolation gowns caused the Executive Yuan to severely criticize the Department of Health, or even when quarantine problems caused the World Health Organization and the US to criticize Taiwan for the lack of effective coordination. Instead, Chen would rather be doing what the Presidential Office's public relations director should be doing -- visiting the funeral halls for medical workers who died and offering condolences to their families.
The SARS epidemic in Taiwan has been no less serious than it has been in China. The public no longer dares to go to big hospitals. With the epidemic figures still high, society has lost patience.
Weak leadership, the biggest taboo in times of social crisis, has shown itself in Taiwan. Leaders stand on the front line, not to handle administrative matters, but to boost morale. Unfortunately, Chen, who demonstrated decisive leadership during his term as Taipei mayor, was unwilling to stand on the front line this time due to worries about the impact on his re-election bid. Meanwhile, Ma stood on the front line, only to prove that he could not lead.
Sun Ching-yu is a freelance columnist.
Translated by Francis Huang
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