International and domestic media have devoted a great deal of column space this week to whether Taiwan should write off the debt owed to it by Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck its impoverished Caribbean ally on Jan. 12.
Taiwan has already done its fair share, sending rescue teams to search for survivors, donating US$5 million and shipping 70 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to the quake-affected area, while several non-governmental organizations have also announced aid packages and medical missions.
The focus now, however, has switched to whether Taipei will follow the lead of the IMF and a host of countries, which last year canceled large portions of Haiti’s debt. The discussions were spurred by calls this week from the Paris Club for Haiti’s remaining creditors to cancel debts.
Haiti has long been a failed state, with debt problems that stretch back to when the country’s slaves defeated Napoleon’s troops and declared independence from France in 1804. Decades of interference, misrule and plundering of state coffers by a succession of dictators and corrupt rulers have contributed to the failure of Haiti. Last week’s events only served to highlight the shocking state of a nation that has long been ignored, while causing nations around the globe to finally take notice and ponder what can be done to help.
At about US$90 million, Haiti’s debt to Taiwan is not overwhelming. Taiwan can afford to forgive this debt, which would help the ravaged nation get back on its feet.
Whether it would have the desired effect remains to be seen.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has already indicated that a total writeoff will not be simple because the money is owed to several banks, not the government. The president added that he has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate what can be done.
However, domestic critics have argued that forgiving Haiti’s debt would encourage Taiwan’s mostly poor allies to expect the same treatment, something they say the nation can’t afford. Others, however, argue that the sheer scale of the disaster in Haiti and its vacuum of good governance distinguishes it from all of Taiwan’s other allies, making a compelling case for an act of goodwill.
If Taipei is worried about what will happen to its ties with Haiti in the face of a growing Chinese threat to its relations in the region, then it could tie the writeoff to reconstruction contracts and an increase in medical and agricultural assistance.
Speculation is rife that Ma will make an announcement during a rumored meeting that is to take place with his Haitian counterpart Rene Preval during his stop in the Dominican Republic next week.
Ma may see this as an opportunity to gain good publicity, but whatever kind of deal is struck, it should not be made as part of a cheerleading effort for our beleaguered president and should be carried out in as low-key a manner as possible. To do otherwise would be an embarrassment to Taiwan and the ultimate mark of disrespect to victims in Haiti.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then