Tackling road safety
A law targeting the use of mobile phones while driving (“Law targets all use of mobiles while driving,” April 6, page 1) will provide another example of both the common disregard for the law and its arbitrary application, which is so prevalent in Taiwan.
I am sure most readers will have witnessed this, whether it be when trying to use a pedestrian crossing or casually observing the police as they drive around, lights ablaze and three to a car.
The proposed legislation is common sense, yet it will, in all probability, reinforce the general attitude toward the lax adherence and enforcement of the law.
If the authorities were serious about this matter, they would propose a blanket ban on the tinting of car windows (How can the police apprehend offenders otherwise?), consider more serious fines or punishments (How about a NT$10,000 fine and/or loss of one’s license?) and incentives for the police to actually start enforcing the law (Perhaps a percentage of any fine imposed). And while they are at it, they might also like to think about banning TVs in the front of vehicles.
I know it is “convenient” to be able to watch one’s favorite South Korean drama while waiting at a red light, but seriously, if safety were paramount, a lot more could be done.
If the authorities in Taiwan are really interested in road safety, there should be a coordinated campaign of road safety education combined with tougher penalties that are more rigorously enforced.
Ainesley Crabbe
Huwei, Yunlin County
Missed opportunity
It totally amazes me that people are so surprised by the non-action of vice president-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in the past months. China’s latest jab should come as no surprise and did demand a reaction. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been leaning more and more toward the sphere of Beijing’s influence over the past few years.
Comments by some of the “old timers” and the actions of many younger officials do not require a rocket scientist to realize how they want things to go.
The president has been a known quantity for some time and his vice president-elect has been a staunch supporter. It is only my humble opinion that Taiwanese need to open their eyes and see what is going on.
On the day of the election, I sat in a small breakfast shop and watched the crowds line up to vote in a district of Greater Taichung. I marveled at the numbers who returned to their home of record to cast their vote. Both my wife and I hoped that a change for the better was in the making. However, too few saw what was really there and, well, the rest is history.
I hope that somehow things can be turned around and Taiwan can take its rightful place among nations. Hopefully people will wake up before Taiwan is given away.
Tom Kuleck
Greater Taichung
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