Public’s lives matter
According to news reports, swimming pools in Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城) had been shut down for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pools finally reopened last month, but because of a shortage of lifeguards, swimmers were required to sign a contract prior to entering the pool confirming that they would accept all responsibility if they were to drown while they were using the pool.
The contract and the arrangement caused an uproar and were soon canceled. The swimming pool reopened on Tuesday based on the “real-name” system: Swimmers are required to register their names and ID numbers before entering.
What does this incident say about how the public servants of Yilan County and Toucheng Township view those they are supposed to serve? What does it say about how they approach the job or measure the value of human life? Having failed to address the lifeguard shortage problem, they went on to exacerbate the situation, not solve it. It boggles the mind.
Often, local government leaders and representatives only take their policies and agendas seriously during election campaigns, always saying things such as “power to the people,” but once they are elected, everything changes, and the people must look after themselves.
Managing swimming pools is a matter of life and death, and every person’s life matters. Public servants should do their jobs properly or not at all, and should never assume that some issues might be unimportant and take every public issue seriously.
Fang Fu-chuan
Taipei
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