Ko’s ill-timed vaccine pass
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced on Thursday last week that the Taipei City Government is to issue vaccine passes, which would connect to the National Health Insurance database via the TaipeiPass mobile app, using a system of red, yellow and green traffic light signals to determine whether people can enter certain public spaces or take part in certain activities.
Those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine would get a green light, allowing them to eat in restaurants or take part in group meals for senior citizens. For those who have received one dose, the app displays a yellow light, necessitating preventive measures, which probably means undergoing strict inspection before entering.
Presumably, those whose app flashes a red light would not be able to go anywhere.
Ko said the concept was modeled on the EU’s digital COVID-19 certificates, but it would cause major disruption if applied in Taipei.
Many Taipei residents do not have the TaipeiPass app, and commuters from other cities and counties might not necessarily apply for the TaipeiPass, but they also need to buy things or go into restaurants in Taipei.
Shopkeepers are already busy making sure their customers scan QR codes for contact tracing under a real-name registration system. If they now have to deal with digital passes as well, plus installing the additional entry control equipment, they will be even busier.
Less than 15 percent of Taiwan’s population have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Most people in their 30s and 40s have not even had their first dose. Proposing a digital health pass now shows that Ko is out of touch. The Taipei City Government reportedly plans to spend tens of millions of New Taiwan dollars to purchase entry control equipment for public facilities. Hopefully, Ko first consults about this plan with the central government, as well as other cities and counties, and not rush into it.
Ko does not act quickly when he should, but when he really should go slowly he rushes ahead. He has already decided to give senior citizens a NT$1,500 cash payment in return for the unused travel subsidy on their concessionary EasyCards during the COVID-19 outbreak. Since the Taipei City Council has agreed to this rebate, it would be most appropriate to pay it out on the Double Ninth Festival on on Oct. 14.
However, Ko does not want the payment to be overshadowed by the central government’s Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers, so he insists on delaying it until the end of the year, angering many elderly people.
It would be better to leave digital health passes until the conditions are ripe, but Ko is eager to launch them quickly, with no regard for all the trouble it could cause. It would be better if Ko thinks before he acts.
Wang Hsien-wen
Taipei
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.