Wed, Oct 25, 2017 page8

• EDITORIAL: Stop wasting time on petty issues

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  The campaign to change the nation’s time zone to that of Japan and South Korea is simply a new chapter in the pettiness and shortsightedness of certain elements of society.

  China should be seen as the petty one, as it blocks Taiwan’s attempts to assert itself internationally and launches hostile rhetoric to undermine its sovereignty.

  Suggesting something as pointless as changing time zones just to disassociate Taiwan from China not only has zero benefits, but brings the nation to China’s level.

  At least China’s moves, while seemingly childish at times, actually affect Taiwan and how it is treated internationally.

  This unlikely time zone debacle will have no effect on Beijing and will likely be laughed off by Chinese officials.

  If anything, it will drive the wedge between Taiwan’s opposing political factions deeper at a time when the pan-blue and pan-green camps are already prone to petty squabbles over ideology instead of seriously looking at what is best for the nation.

  Not only would the move be purely symbolic and have no direct benefits, but it is already wasting public resources, because the National Development Council, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of the Interior will have to hold a meeting — tentatively set for tomorrow — to discuss who should be responsible for the issue, since the petition received enough signatures online.

  If people have so much time, why do they not think of concrete ways to improve Taiwan to make it better able to compete against their unfriendly neighbor?

  China can afford to be petty because it already has strength and wealth. Taiwanese need to stop squabbling and ramp up their game.

  Many similar controversial issues do make sense on some level. Banning the Chinese flag or reducing the amount of Chinese history in textbooks are one thing, as they reinforce Taiwanese identity and pride — something the nation desperately needs. Time zones, on the other hand, are not unique to China and is going too far out on a limb.

  Being in the same time zone does not indicate that two nations have a “superior-subordinate relationship.”

  What about the other countries in the time zone, such as the Philippines and Australia? The logic is flawed, and no matter how much someone supports Taiwanese independence, this notion is simply nonsense.

  The petition also argued that Taiwan once shared the same time zone with Japan — but that is because Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire under colonial rule. Being ruled by any foreign power as second-class citizens should never be something to reminisce upon — including the Martial Law era. To make this argument is an insult to the very independence these petitioners are trying to promote.

  China is a threat, but at least it has yet to take over Taiwan, set up headquarters in Taipei and start telling people what to do as the Japanese did. Another deeply flawed argument.

  Furthermore, the logistics of the proposal — such as flight schedules and so on — would be a nightmare.

  Stop wasting time on such petty ideas and think about how to make Taiwan a stronger and better nation. Otherwise, it might lose its treasured de facto independence before we even realize it.
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