Political cartoonists yesterday lamented newspapers' declining interest in their craft, which has forced some to switch careers.
"Since the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] came to power in 2000, more local political cartoonists have had a hard time finding a job," said graphic artist Lin Kuei-yu (
Lin, who works in both the animation picture business and architecture, made the remark while meeting with Vice President Annette Lu (
He was one of eight political cartoonists invited by Lu to a tea party at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
Lin attributed the decline of interest in political cartoons to artists' reluctance to criticize the DPP administration because they were good friends to DPP officials during the dangwai ("outside the KMT") period.
Echoing Lin's opinions, Peng Jin-yang (
"I sincerely hope the administration and media owners recognize the unfavorable situation local political cartoonists are facing and give them more encouragement, support and room," he said.
Lu said she still thinks there is a market for political cartoons, because Taiwan is a free and democratic society where the media can chasten the nation's leaders and politicians.
Lu then said she was curious to know who had likened her to a "deserted concubine left in the harem of despair," since she had never called herself that.
Tong Jin-mao (
Both Tong and Ling Chun (
Ling also called on the government to listen more to the people's voice and spend more energy improving their livelihood rather than continue their political maneuvering.
Lo Ching-chong (羅慶忠), better known as L.C.C., showed off a caricature of Lu he did in 2001. In the black-and-white drawing, Lu sports a bird's nest-like hairdo, with a bird perched in it.
Lo yesterday said that seeing Lu in person inspired him.
Chen Chih-lung (陳至隆), popularly known as Hunter (獵人) and one of the few practicing political cartoonists today, proposed that Lu help them publish a book in which the nation's political cartoonists could show off their talent.
Lu, however, said she didn't think she was powerful enough to fulfill their request, and instead invited the guests to work together on the project.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
RSS