One of the more disgraceful episodes in the last local government elections saw a group of doctors from Taichung Veterans General Hospital call a press conference and declare that Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (
This betrayal of ethics and basic decency was compounded when Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figureheads -- including President Chen Shui-bian (
Hu appropriately filed suit against the doctors, and this week Taichung prosecutors announced that the case would not be pursued, citing lack of evidence, and that it was legitimate for the doctors to pursue a political agenda in this case. They admitted, however, that the records that were presented by the doctors were genuine.
It is extraordinary that prosecutors dismissed the case on the basis that there was no proof of connections between these doctors and the doctors who treated Hu. In any other context, the sale or use of stolen goods is a crime, and it is not necessary that the link between the original theft and the subsequent use of material be made for a crime to be established. When it is medical records that are misappropriated, it seems, things are different.
Some of the doctors have responded to the decision with relief but also something considerably less than contrition, maintaining that holders of higher office should be subjected to medical checks, and other such nonsense. It is clear that the professional punishments that the doctors received have not sunk in and that the most important thing is to save face.
The grisly truth is that hospital administrators around the country have been tarnished by this decision, and they will need to be vigilant in order that similarly ill-motivated doctors, nurses or other staff do not compromise patient privacy in future. Based on the Taichung case, those who steal or misuse medical records for political purposes all of a sudden can avoid prosecution because legal technicalities appeal to some parts of the justice system more than conducting professional investigative work.
In the interest of Taichung readers, it is appropriate that these doctors be named for the record. They are: DPP Legislator Lin Chin-hsing (
Hu deserves praise for considerable grace under fire on a matter so close to his mortality. The doctors -- who by any ethical standard have shown themselves to be unfit to practice medicine -- exploited his misfortune to make a political point that in itself was a repugnant slur against every person who has had a serious illness.
Yet Hu has declared he will not pursue the matter, asking instead that the medical profession desist from such behavior. If only more of our mediocre politicians displayed such leadership.
Elbridge Colby, America’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is the most influential voice on defense strategy in the Second Trump Administration. For insight into his thinking, one could do no better than read his thoughts on the defense of Taiwan which he gathered in a book he wrote in 2021. The Strategy of Denial, is his contemplation of China’s rising hegemony in Asia and on how to deter China from invading Taiwan. Allowing China to absorb Taiwan, he wrote, would open the entire Indo-Pacific region to Chinese preeminence and result in a power transition that would place America’s prosperity
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) first suggested a mass recall of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, the Taipei Times called the idea “not only absurd, but also deeply undemocratic” (“Lai’s speech and legislative chaos,” Jan. 6, page 8). In a subsequent editorial (“Recall chaos plays into KMT hands,” Jan. 9, page 8), the paper wrote that his suggestion was not a solution, and that if it failed, it would exacerbate the enmity between the parties and lead to a cascade of revenge recalls. The danger came from having the DPP orchestrate a mass recall. As it transpired,
A few weeks ago in Kaohsiung, tech mogul turned political pundit Robert Tsao (曹興誠) joined Western Washington University professor Chen Shih-fen (陳時奮) for a public forum in support of Taiwan’s recall campaign. Kaohsiung, already the most Taiwanese independence-minded city in Taiwan, was not in need of a recall. So Chen took a different approach: He made the case that unification with China would be too expensive to work. The argument was unusual. Most of the time, we hear that Taiwan should remain free out of respect for democracy and self-determination, but cost? That is not part of the usual script, and
All 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), survived recall elections against them on Saturday, in a massive loss to the unprecedented mass recall movement, as well as to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that backed it. The outcome has surprised many, as most analysts expected that at least a few legislators would be ousted. Over the past few months, dedicated and passionate civic groups gathered more than 1 million signatures to recall KMT lawmakers, an extraordinary achievement that many believed would be enough to remove at