Media distracted by gossip
With the presidential and legislative elections over, it is a busy time for top government leaders to discuss new Cabinet members, and the handover of legislative affairs and national policies. Nevertheless, some news coverage has been out of touch, continuing to report on insignificant trivia.
For example, some media have focused on a female security guard of vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), discussing how attractive she is, while praising the woman who used to be a host of the famous military education show Twilight Garden (莒光園地) as a highlight of the nation’s armed services.
The public might be used to this kind of gossip news, but what is the point of reporting such things? Irrespective of whether a presidential or vice presidential security guard is a military or police officer and regardless of their gender, whether the person is “good-looking” has nothing to do with their job as a guard. It seems only natural that a female president or vice president would have female personnel in their security detail.
What we should really care about is the person’s professionalism and skill in protecting a president or vice president, and whether they can serve as a buffer between the president or vice president and the public.
In the past, a male security guard of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was dubbed “special agent Andy Lau” (劉德華) for his similarity to the Hong Kong superstar, and two female guards were nicknamed “Little Black” (小黑) and “Little White” (小白) respectively because of their skin tones. Maybe they are adored by the public because they look dashing and spirited.
However, when they are on duty, they need to be fully focused, keep an eye on the whole scene and respond to any emergencies at any time. They are not here for a personal fan meeting, and the media should respect their professionalism and allow them to do their job. No one can afford to let the security work go wrong.
Hopefully, before Tsai leaves office on May 20, the media and public can understand this, which should be continued in the era of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) and Hsiao.
Hung Yu-jui
Taichung
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s