Compassion vs manipulation
During repair efforts following Typhoon Danas, some civilians prepared beef noodles for Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) personnel to thank them for their hard work — a gesture that made heartwarming news.
Taipower employees have worked tirelessly day and night, through downpours and record-breaking temperatures, to repair power lines and restore electricity — all so that people could return to their daily lives as soon as possible. That some people have quietly delivered meals to the workers — without seeking attention or even expecting a thank you — is a reflection of the civic power holding up Taiwan.
As the nation handles the aftermath of the disaster, opposition politicians have once again demonstrated their talent for talking trash and undermining progress.
They have run their mouths constantly with criticisms such as: “Why are repairs taking so long?”
Yet they have done absolutely nothing to help. They have shown no concern for the challenges of emergency repair and ignore that fragilities in the power grid are the result of years of accumulated wear.
Yet still, every time a natural disaster hits, all they do is blame everything on the government.
This political manipulation is not just cold-hearted — it is nauseating.
The irony is that when those people made up the government years ago, they failed to invest in the power system and ignored the need for an energy transition. Now, they have the audacity to whine and complain.
It is a political calculation, plain and simple — they prop themselves up with the sweat and tears of repair workers, and the inconveniences the public faces after a storm to garner attention and attack the government.
Fortunately, from warmhearted people delivering meals of their own volition to Taipower employees and public servants working around the clock on repairs, the resilience of Taiwanese society and the empathy of its people are plainly seen. The positive energy is a powerful weapon that can counter even the most opportunistic politicians.
Natural disasters are merciless, but human beings are compassionate. The last thing a post-disaster Taiwan needs is politicians fanning the flames. It needs more people who are willing to step up and lend a hand.
If the opposition has even a shred of shame left, it would put down the microphone and head to the front lines to witness firsthand what real effort and sacrifice look like.
Tao Huo
Taipei
In the past month, two important developments are poised to equip Taiwan with expanded capabilities to play foreign policy offense in an age where Taiwan’s diplomatic space is seriously constricted by a hegemonic Beijing. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) led a delegation of Taiwan and US companies to the Philippines to promote trilateral economic cooperation between the three countries. Additionally, in the past two weeks, Taiwan has placed chip export controls on South Africa in an escalating standoff over the placing of its diplomatic mission in Pretoria, causing the South Africans to pause and ask for consultations to resolve
An altercation involving a 73-year-old woman and a younger person broke out on a Taipei MRT train last week, with videos of the incident going viral online, sparking wide discussions about the controversial priority seats and social norms. In the video, the elderly woman, surnamed Tseng (曾), approached a passenger in a priority seat and demanded that she get up, and after she refused, she swung her bag, hitting her on the knees and calves several times. In return, the commuter asked a nearby passenger to hold her bag, stood up and kicked Tseng, causing her to fall backward and
In December 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing and unleashed one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Over six weeks, hundreds of thousands were slaughtered and women were raped on a scale that still defies comprehension. Across Asia, the Japanese occupation left deep scars. Singapore, Malaya, the Philippines and much of China endured terror, forced labor and massacres. My own grandfather was tortured by the Japanese in Singapore. His wife, traumatized beyond recovery, lived the rest of her life in silence and breakdown. These stories are real, not abstract history. Here is the irony: Mao Zedong (毛澤東) himself once told visiting
When I reminded my 83-year-old mother on Wednesday that it was the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she replied: “Yes, it was the day when my family was broken.” That answer captures the paradox of modern China. To most Chinese in mainland China, Oct. 1 is a day of pride — a celebration of national strength, prosperity and global stature. However, on a deeper level, it is also a reminder to many of the families shattered, the freedoms extinguished and the lives sacrificed on the road here. Seventy-six years ago, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東)
RSS