Tue, May 13, 2014 page8

• [ LETTERS ]

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  Gou should attend to himself

  After reading Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) comments about how he thinks Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) is a man of vile character, detestable qualities and worse than a beast, I feel obliged to remind Guo of his commitment to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the people of the then-Kaohsiung.

  He declared back in 2007 to 2008 that his company would build an assembly plant and factory in Kaohsiung, bringing much needed investment and clean industry, if Ma was elected president. Ma is now in his second term, but there is no evidence of the promised plant.

  Gou should really think of putting his own house in order before condemning others and remember his promises to Taiwanese.

  Nick Pond

  Greater Kaohsiung

  Gou has been vocal about politics in Taiwan lately. His remarks, when extolling the youth, that liberty cannot sustain one’s belly and that economy comes before democracy, has become the butt of jokes in schools and the legislature.

  Acrid comments lampooning this technology tycoon are circulating widely on the Internet.

  It has generally been agreed that Gou’s thoughts were inspired by a red-faced idol that he worships at home. Yet we can make a rational assumption that this was just an instance of flattery meant to demonstrate his allegiance to Ma.

  Just a few days ago, Chen Ou-po gatecrashed the funeral of Ma’s mother and scandalized the whole nation. He broke the taboo of never attending a funeral uninvited, especially a private one.

  While the DPP was reeling from the incident and the media was taking great delight in condemning Chen’s stupid move, Gou held a press conference to denounce Chen as “beneath the dignity of a beast” and offering NT$3 million (US$99,300) to the folks in Yilan to recall him from office.

  Gou’s move, which may have puzzled Westerners, was meant to stir up a tidal wave of indignation among millions of Taiwanese — who have been brought up to respect funeral rites solemnized by Confucius — aimed not only at bringing down Chen, but also at eroding public support for the DPP in November’s seven-in-one elections.

  The public did not respond as enthusiastically as Gou had expected. The issue has simply fizzled out, as the media turned its attention to other issues of public interest.

  We can also surmise that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is not interested in proceeding to recall a DPP legislator, since three of their own legislators are in danger of being recalled by the supporters of the so-called “Appendectomy Project” movement, of which the KMT legislators are currently working very hard to stifle and to outlaw by bringing a countermeasure bill in the legislature.

  However, Gou’s recent political stunt has not been unrewarded. Outgoing Control Yuan President Wang Chien-hsien (王建煊) has voiced his support for Gou to run for the presidency in 2016. That may sound a bit out of tune with the public’s sentiment, but who cares.

  This self-proclaimed “holy man” has made unsavory statements of a similar nature plenty of times. Gou needed a flatterer and Wang filled that position in no time.

  Similarly, Ma was once lauded as “the Supreme Human Being” by his vice president, a master of flattery and a supreme quibblers in the history of Taiwanese politics.

  Flattery has truly evolved into a fine art in the case of Gou’s press conference to denounce liberty and democracy in the name of a red-faced idol.

  Yang Chun-hui

  Salt Lake City, Utah

  Educated beyond function

  As a person who has received a basic education in sociology, I totally understand why Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) asked “what sociology departments were studying” (“‘Run your own hospital,’ legislator tells reformists,” May 10, page 4).

  From the perspective of a functionalist, the most significant contribution of a sociological education is nothing more than being a beggar or coolie, it brings no more money than any other degree.

  However a sociology graduate can acknowledge what makes people rich and poor from begging and how the proletariat and the capital class formed, what the differences are between the proletariat and the capital class, as well as why the proletariat engage in the fight for a utopian world from their positions of coolies.

  The question of whether sociological studies are useful, is in the eyes of the beholder.

  Sociology can be somewhat useful, especially when a sociology student after being tortured by his or her employer till late at a night and receiving a wage of NT$22,000, he or she can gain assistance from social workers at the local social bureau while begging.

  Karl Siu

  Hong Kong
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