President Chen Shui-bian (
The strange thing is that it is these powerful people who constantly ask Chen to improve the nation's economy. It seems there is nothing wrong with seeing the poor in the countryside suffering while the rich are whining about their dwindling incomes. Clearly, the latter will emerge as the winners if Chen falls for their tricks.
This phenomenon indicates a cruel fact: Too much of the nation's economy is concentrated in Taipei, where it is dominated by a handful of privileged people. Therefore, Chen has to come to his senses and re-establish a Taiwanese consciousness among the public rather than focusing all his attention on the economic growth rate.
Ever since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2000, it has indeed attempted to appeal to centrist voters by sidestepping the issue of the sovereignty of Taiwan, and some party members have even regarded the issue as a real vote loser. Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) unexpectedly took the opportunity to promote the idea of localization and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
I would like to suggest that the DPP should openly promote Taiwanese literature, art and music, and that the Ministry of Education should include the literary works of Taiwanese writers into the elementary school curriculum. The Examination Yuan could also include such works in their civil servant examination while the Council for Cultural Affairs could hold competitions with local Taiwanese themes.
In addition, Taiwan's media outlets are focused on Taipei and this has contributed to social tension. The just-concluded local government elections were obviously manipulated by the media outlets based in Taipei, and the results also catered to the expectations of people living in Taipei. Therefore, the government should move state-run media outlets out of Taipei in the near term.
As a result of the last dozen years of education reform, the proportion of students in cities, particularly Taipei, continuing their studies have increased, while schools in rural areas have become a shelter for incompetent teachers or temporary bases for teachers intending to transfer to better schools. This is also something the government has to deal with.
If Chen really wants to become a true president for all Taiwan, he should direct all his efforts toward enhancing culture and education, rebuilding the thinking of the Taiwanese public, and shaping the national spirit.
Bob Kuo is professor of information systems at the National Sun Yat-sen University.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS