Hung’s Zelenskiy comment
I was shocked to hear [former KMT chairwoman] Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) mocking of Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy, who is fulfilling his duty as a president by doing what the Ukrainian people want him to do: protecting the country’s sovereignty.
In a democratic country, such as Ukraine, the president listens to his people and honors their wishes. This is Democracy 101.
Since the Russian invasion, Ukrainians have made it clear that they want national sovereignty and are fighting very hard for it. President Zelenskiy stays with his people and advocates their wishes to the world to get help.
Unfortunately, Ms Hung fails to understand the meaning of democracy and believes President Zelenskiy has options other than fighting for what Ukrainians want.
While all democratic countries in the world are praising the courage of Ukrainians and their president, Ms Hung, while enjoying the freedom of a democratic society, disrespects what Ukrainians are doing.
I hope Ms Hung can consider revising her comments to show the world that we honor the same values that other democratic countries do.
Gwoing Tina Yu
Taipei, Taiwan
108 curriculum
The Taipei Times editorial “108 curriculum a knotty experiment” caught my attention as a public relations professional turned university professor (March 11, page 8).
Looking back over more than 50 years of professional and professorial experience, I most definitely can understand the goal of the Ministry of Education to, as I term it, “ramp up” prospective university students’ preparedness for life after graduation.
Over the past 20 years, I have observed countless young men and women who were entering their final year of college with no clear idea of what exactly they wanted to be doing after graduation.
I can also easily identify with them because I, too, had absolutely no idea what I really wanted. Starting out as an engineering major, I graduated with an English major, thinking “maybe” I would be an English teacher, and, following my US Air Force service, segued into a public relations career.
Now, as a university professor, I make it a point to emphasize to any student who wanders across my path the critical importance of gaining a focus as soon as possible: Do not wait until after graduation.
This includes internships to gain a clearer focus on what one not only likes to do, but also what one is good at doing.
This process would be greatly simplified if students were encouraged to begin thinking about and planning for their professional future before embarking on an often costly college education.
Hats off to the Ministry of Education for its foresight.
Kirk Hazlett
Adjunct professor of
communication,
University of Tampa
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
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