Democracy regressing
“Well, look at Taiwan, look at [South] Korea, different places,” US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said recently. (“PRC stalling on human rights: House speaker,” June 7, page 1). While Taiwanese joined others in discussing the slow progress of human rights in China on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protest, how many of us noticed that democracy in Taiwan is moving backwards?
Why were the parents of a Tamkang University student warned by police after their child attended the protest held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on May 17? Why was a student arrested and investigated by the police just for shouting “Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] step down!” at a Taiwan High Speed Rail station in March? Why was Sunrise Records shut down by police because they were playing patriotic Taiwanese music when Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) visited Taipei last year?
I can’t believe all these incidents happened in a so-called democratic country. Living in Taiwan in the 21st century, we are supposed to have the basic human right of freedom of speech. Martial Law was lifted in 1987 by former President Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), but maybe Ma forgot about that. Otherwise, why was I warned by an unfriendly policeman with fierce eyes and a pointing finger for having a yellow ribbon with the words “Taiwan is my country” tied to my car?
SALLY WU
Taipei City
Eating meat is not healthy
Thank you for running the story “DPP calls for campaign against US beef imports” (June 26, page 4) on the disturbing negotiations to increase beef imports from the US.
It seems the DPP was right on the money when it said the Department of Health (DOH) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were jeopardizing public health. Shame on them!
Not to offend anyone, but why do you think the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is pushing Taiwanese to increase beef imports? For our health? I believe it is strictly for economic reasons.
Earlier this year, the AIT and its Director Stephen Young held a benefit for Taiwan’s needy, including children, providing a free “meat dinner.” This was an obvious marketing scheme by the AIT and nothing more.
The AIT uses phrases like “based on science.” Well I wish the DOH would research more deeply the “real science” behind the problem. For starters, it is quickly becoming known throughout the world that “meat” as a food is absolutely not healthy for the human body. Numerous studies have proven that animal protein promotes heart disease, colon cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The meat industry and those that support it have duped citizens for decades into believing their product is healthy. Only plant protein promotes health. Animal protein detracts from human health. Animals themselves only get their protein from plants. The DOH needs to spread this information to all Taiwanese citizens.
This is the root of the situation — not whether US meat from cattle more than 30 months old should be considered safe or not. In fact, no meat products are safe, not from any country. Numerous diseases come from animal production: swine flu, bird flu, etc.
Meat production is also a major cause of deforestation, and global food and water shortages. I care deeply for my fellow citizens, and sincerely wish they were given the proper information by government bodies instead of about economic and diplomatic maneuvering.
Please, search on the Internet. Read The China Study. Find out why livestock production contributes greatly to global warming.
We as citizens must start to educate ourselves. If the DOH won’t protect and inform us, then it is our responsibility to do so ourselves.
JOHN BRADLEY STONE
Daan,Taipei
Physical punishment useful
Physical punishment has become a controversial issue.
It has existed in families for a long time, but there have in recent years been some arguments against it. Nowadays, most couples have only one or two children. Each child is his or her parents’ treasure. In accordance with the ideal of “lovely education,” parents tend to care about their children too much to punish them. However, it pampers kids with bad behavior, which results in more social problems.
In my opinion, physical punishment is appropriate in some cases. When we punish children, we should clearly tell them what they did wrong and help them to learn their lesson. In that way, children will know that we are not trying to hurt them, but to teach and direct them. The child will not feel “hurt” because of our punishment.
PAT DENG
Keelung
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS