Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) accompanied the victims of pollution caused by recent fires at Formosa Petrochemical Corp’s Sixth Naphtha Cracker in Mailiao Township (麥寮) when they staged a protest in the capital a few days ago.
The demonstrators got down on their knees outside the Executive Yuan, with the fierce sun beating down, and waited for some kind of official response. Unfortunately for them, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), the one man who has the power to do something about their complaint and who has said on numerous occasions he stands on the side of the common people, did not even deign to show his face.
Then there was Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), currently campaigning for the position of mayor of Greater Taichung, just back from a trip to Southeast Asia. The very night he returned, Hu rushed over to the City God temple where, according to official records, he wished the resident deity a happy birthday. While he was there, he also prayed for help in solving the killing of alleged gangster Weng Chi-nan (翁奇楠).
The protest succeeded in highlighting the callous arrogance of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, which enjoys government power but seemingly does not understand that its role is to look out for the public. Democracy is not about begging, however; it is about having the legitimate right to demand responsible government and accountability. Groveling is a legacy of China’s feudal, imperial past, and has no place in the age of modern democracy.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has devastated the livelihoods of local fishermen and women. The victims of the spill came out fighting, demanding compensation and sued. BP accepted it was at fault, setting aside US$38 billion for compensation claims and saw to it that negligent executives were replaced. The US government then ordered an oil well safety review and suspended any new offshore drilling projects. This is what is meant by democracy and responsibility.
Corporate arrogance and irresponsibility are only possible when arrogance and irresponsibility in government are widespread and tolerated.
Hu has the police and state-of-the-art surveillance equipment at his disposal, but still hasn’t been able to get to the bottom of the homicide. At a loss, he goes to beg for help from a wooden idol, asking it to intervene on his behalf. It was, to be honest, a bit of a spectacle and a resounding fall from grace for Hu.
Seeking help from the gods in public affairs is ridiculous. Granted, in the US politicians make frequent references to God in their rhetoric, but when did you last hear the mayor of New York calling on God to come and have a look at the city accounts, sort out the budget deficit or crack any unsolved homicides for him?
If the city god really can intervene, why not have it get rid of corruption, or even arrange for peace on Earth? If running a city required the help of a wooden idol or mystical deities, we wouldn’t need a mayor, we would need a high priest instead; at least he would hold the incense properly and know what incantations to use to communicate with the other side.
Hu studied at Oxford University. Once he aspired to the heights of academic achievementp; now he is reduced to appealing for help from the city god. How do we respond to that?
We need to set democracy and politics in Taiwan back on the right track. Enough of the groveling and praying. Please.
James Wang is a journalist based in Washington.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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