In the above article, "Music and politics are inseparable," Ho Tung-hung (
First, the article proposes that politics and music are insepar-able. Shocked's brave anti-US and anti-war position moved people to admiration, and her lyrics display a deep concern for social issues. While A-mei, on the other hand, has bowed to China and admitted to having committed a mistake by singing the ROC anthem at President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) 2000 inauguration.
Here, I want to say that the idea of music and social engagement as mutual reflections of each other is but one way for artists to express themselves, but not the only way. To put it another way, there is nothing inherently good or bad, right or wrong in the difference between singer Luo Da-you's (羅大佑) lyrical social criticisms and Fei Yu-ching's (費玉清) performance-oriented singing.
The idea that artists have certain social responsibilities as a result of their popularity is true, but there isn't only one way to act on those responsibilities. During the March presidential election, for example, some artists clearly expressed their green or blue political biases, while others were of the opinion that as artists, being public personalities, should abstain from influencing their audience's political views.
Throughout the so-called A-mei incident, the singer was unwilling to take a strong stand and therefore chose to deal with protests in a low-key manner. To say that she "bowed to China and admitted her mistakes" is going a bit too far. If she committed any mistake, it was her wavering on her legitimate right to sing the national anthem for fear of being labelled a "green artist."
If we were to ask politicians, Taiwanese businesspeople or artists working on either side of the Taiwan Strait about the issue of unification, the status quo or independence for Taiwan, no one would be able to give a clear, satisfactory answer -- so why should we expect A-mei to come out and take a vocal stand?
Further, the article also casts in a negative light A-mei's visits to the disaster areas in the wake of the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and the flood-damaged areas brought on by Tropical Storm Mindulle last month. This is regretful, and it makes us wonder what benevolent and philanthropic actions one must undertake in order to be considered sincere. Ho suspects that A-mei's visit to indigenous people following the earthquake was insincere. He also claims that the singer did not contribute some of the "astronomical amount of money" she makes to the charity benefit for which she performed following last month's flooding disaster, but merely attracted a lot of media attention.
Let's leave aside the issue of the truth about her visits to the disaster areas, since we don't know if the author's understanding of the issue following his own visit is complete. Does charity have to be anonymous, and do donations have to be monetary to be considered sincere? Is it not a positive thing when artists promote public concern for social issues?
Following the 1999 earthquake, many public personalities made generous donations -- including A-mei -- who donated NT$1 million to charity. This time she chose to give a charity concert to solicit donations from the public. Wasn't that a meaningful gesture? When is a charity concert or fund-raising initiative sincere enough to satisfy this author? I don't believe there is a formula for how artists should engage in the public sphere. Thus, it is preposterous to label such charity hypocritical.
Perhaps what we really should examine is how much sincerity other actors, singers or TV show hosts have displayed as they have performed in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong in recent years.
Ethnic Taiwanese born overseas can work freely on either side of the Taiwan Strait when things go well, or work in their home country when things are not going so well. In any case, artists who were born and raised in Taiwan have nowhere else to go. For the Taiwanese people, unfortunately, their nationality still falls in a grey area to some extent, and many people are afraid to confront this issue. I hope that society at large will be able to take a more tolerant approach to musicians who come under political pressure.
Kuang Tsai-yun is a graduate student at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has its chairperson election tomorrow. Although the party has long positioned itself as “China friendly,” the election is overshadowed by “an overwhelming wave of Chinese intervention.” The six candidates vying for the chair are former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former lawmaker Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), Legislator Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), former National Assembly representative Tsai Chih-hong (蔡志弘) and former Changhua County comissioner Zhuo Bo-yuan (卓伯源). While Cheng and Hau are front-runners in different surveys, Hau has complained of an online defamation campaign against him coming from accounts with foreign IP addresses,
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Saturday won the party’s chairperson election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes, becoming the second woman in the seat and the first to have switched allegiance from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the KMT. Cheng, running for the top KMT position for the first time, had been termed a “dark horse,” while the biggest contender was former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), considered by many to represent the party’s establishment elite. Hau also has substantial experience in government and in the KMT. Cheng joined the Wild Lily Student
When Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced the implementation of a new “quiet carriage” policy across all train cars on Sept. 22, I — a classroom teacher who frequently takes the high-speed rail — was filled with anticipation. The days of passengers videoconferencing as if there were no one else on the train, playing videos at full volume or speaking loudly without regard for others finally seemed numbered. However, this battle for silence was lost after less than one month. Faced with emotional guilt from infants and anxious parents, THSRC caved and retreated. However, official high-speed rail data have long
Starting next year, drivers older than 70 may be entitled to a monthly NT$1,500 public transportation and taxi subsidy if they relinquish their driver’s license, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on Tuesday. The measure is part of a broader effort to improve road safety, with eligible participants receiving the subsidy for two years. The announcement comes amid mounting concern over traffic safety in Taiwan. A 2022 article by CNN quoted the name of a Facebook group devoted to the traffic situation called “Taiwan is a living hell for pedestrians,” while Berlin-based bne IntelliNews last month called it a “deadly