Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) recently criticized former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung’s (陳時中) entry into the Taipei mayoral race, likening Chen’s ambition to Sima Zhao’s (司馬昭) ill intent in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), and advised Chen not to mix politics with disease prevention.
Chiang added that if Chen wanted to throw his hat into the ring, he owed Taipei residents an explanation.
Chiang’s statement is downright ignorant and democratically illiterate.
Chiang could not have been more wrong in using the historical allegory about Sima Zhao. The story gave birth to the idiom “Everyone on the street knows what is in Sima Zhao’s mind” (司馬昭之心, 路人皆知), meaning that a person’s supposed hidden intention — in the original story, usurping the throne — is so well-known that it is not really hidden.
As Taiwan is a democratic society where people cast their votes for their preferred candidates, it is highly inappropriate to compare Chen’s entry to Sima Zhao’s story. The egregious and preposterous comparison only reveals Chiang’s ignorance and lack of magnanimity. This kind of remark would have voters questioning whether the KMT’s authoritarian legacy still looms in Chiang’s mind.
Furthermore, if one were to use the same allusion to make up the following sentence: “When Chang changed his surname to Chiang without the permission of the Chiang family, everyone on the street knew what was in ‘Sima Zhao’s’ mind” — would Chiang think it was appropriate?
Politicians should be prudent and responsible for their remarks; otherwise, their words could always come back and bite them. Any reckless and irresponsible remarks would only bring disgrace upon the politicians themselves.
After years of direct elections, the Taiwanese public has a better understanding of democracy, and candidates should strive to keep up with society.
As a candidate of the biggest opposition party, Chiang should come up with policies and blueprints for Taiwan’s capital instead of living in a parallel universe and feeling smug about it. Injudicious, indiscreet, short-sighted remarks would only fail to win him support.
Lee Shang-ju
Taipei
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