One lesson we learned from the outbreak of SARS is how fragile Taiwan becomes when faced with a national crisis.
Look at what happened in the last month. The Taipei City Government accused the Executive Yuan of overlooking the potential spread of SARS. The central government was obsessed with its initial record of zero mortality, zero local transmis-sions and zero transmission abroad. The lack of effective crisis management when an outbreak of SARS hit the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital speeded up the spread of the virus.
Hsinchu Mayor Lin Jung-tzer's (林政則) tried to block the transfer of three SARS patients to Hsinchu General Hospital. Residents in other cities and counties have also opposed the transfer of SARS patients to hospitals in their neighborhoods.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) boycotted a national security meeting convened by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to collect advice and opinions from the opposition. It would have been their opportunity to privately express to the head of state their views on how to control the epidemic. Then came the public finger-pointing between ruling and opposition legislators over whether the Taipei City Government has mishandled the SARS outbreak.
Embedded in all of this political wrestling is a lack of mutual trust and democratic maturity. This spells the greatest danger for the country.
In contrast, the US' democratic system handles crises in a much more mature fashion. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the US government and citizens at all levels united in their fight against common enemies: al-Qaeda and the Taliban. They encouraged each other and extended unanimous support to the government in its handling of the crisis.
The US has a true civil society shaped by more than 200 years of processes which have fostered mutual trust. This mutual trust shone brightly in the flourishing display of national flags and in patriotic speeches coming from various sectors of society. Americans offered their assistance and condolences to the victims of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, even though the only thing Americans shared was nationality.
In Taiwan, such human dignity was also shown after several typhoons hit the country. People worked hand-in-hand with their neighbors in rebuilding. Still, what separates the people of the US from so many others is that, in their hearts, they trust their countrymen.
Regretfully, we have not shown a united front in the face of the SARS crisis. Citizen participation is essential to democracy. But democratic maturity is only achieved through rational debate and mutual respect.
The main reason the oppositions refused to help the government was because of past rivalries. Taiwan's experiences over the past three years illustrates that political stability has a direct bearing on economic development and public confidence. Only a civil society that pursues political reconciliation and cooperation between the governing and opposition parties can constantly develop and produce the optimum benefits of democracy.
This is a time when all Taiwanese should stay calm and united, and understand the importance of being vigilant in peace time. Moreover, it is also a time for us to develop a sense of community.
In troubled times, a free market system of and democracy makes it a lot easier to love each other. While Taiwan is enjoying its economic and political achievements, it still has a long way to go in terms of fostering trust.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to