The death of a two-year-old boy nicknamed En En (恩恩), who died of COVID-19-related septic shock and brainstem encephalitis on April 19 six days after first showing symptoms of the virus, has sparked controversy.
The boy’s parents had repeatedly called the public health center in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), but the calls were not answered. After they called the New Taipei City Fire Department, they were told that they needed approval from the health center and called 119 four times before an ambulance was dispatched, taking 81 minutes to arrive.
To uncover the facts and prevent a similar tragedy from happening, the father has since last week been asking the New Taipei City Government for the April 14 calls’ audio recordings, but the city initially said it could not comply, citing “other callers’ privacy.”
Following a backlash, the city government agreed to provide the father with transcripts and partial recordings of the calls between his wife and the fire department.
The father went to the New Taipei City Fire Department to listen to the recordings on Monday.
However, a social media user claiming to be a former firefighter at the department on Tuesday wrote that officials on Monday morning ordered staff to pretend they were making and receiving emergency calls to simulate the “boisterous” environment of an emergency call center.
The department responded that the scene was meant to recreate the environment on April 14 and was not done to distract the father.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said that he stands behind every firefighter, and would safeguard their dignity and innocence. He has received the highest public approval rating of all local government heads in a recent poll, but this incident has revealed his poor crisis management skills and could deal a lethal blow to his political career. It has demonstrated that Hou’s COVID-19 policy is far from satisfactory, and that his communications and complementary measures lack coordination.
Furthermore, as a New Taipei City resident, En En’s father made it clear that he is only seeking the truth, as is his right. The Freedom of Government Information Act (政府資訊公開法) says that Taiwanese have the right to information as long as it does not concern national secrets. However, the city government has barred him from the truth using the state apparatus, and hiding behind bureaucracy and regulations.
To cover up the perceived mistruth that the calls concerned “personal privacy,” the city government apparently resorted to abuse of authority and public resources by ordering firefighters — some of them off duty — to participate in an alleged act of deception.
As public servants, firefighters should be focused on putting out fires, not starting them by engaging in conduct such as making fake emergency calls. They should also protect the public instead of protecting the authorities.
This farce has only undermined people’s trust in the fire department and the city government. It certainly has not helped the father with his pursuit of the truth.
What was even worse was that the city government was quick to sue the whistle-blower while withholding the rest of the audio recordings from the father.
The city government must mete out appropriate disciplinary measures and come forward with the truth. Hou has harmed the dignity of the firefighters he claims to protect. If he continues the cover-up, he would only add fuel to fire.
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