Taipei concert mishandled
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert was originally scheduled for Oct. 31 at the Taipei Arena, when the arrival of Typhoon Kong-rey led to the cancelation of work and classes throughout Taiwan. Despite this, concert organizers emphasized on the night of Oct. 30 that the concert would be held as planned.
In the face of external doubts as to whether or not the concert would go on as scheduled, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) indicated that the organizers’ decision would be respected. It was also announced that Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, the operator of the venue, would cooperate by running the MRT more frequently, which provoked intense protest. Soon after, the strong winds and torrential rain that came with the typhoon led the concert’s organizers to finally announce its cancelation — just four hours before it was scheduled to begin.
Typhoons as large and strong as Kong-rey are seldom seen. Aside from employees of essential services — such as Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), Taiwan Water Corp and gas companies — and those involved in typhoon prevention or rescue operations, all public and private institutions canceled work and classes. Concerts are huge events that attract a large number of people — for people to go out, take public transportation or drive during a storm to attend a concert is a severe threat to public safety.
As mayor, should Chiang not have known that? Otherwise, what was the significance of canceling work and classes?
Leaving the concert’s fate up to its organizers showed a great lack of responsibility on the part of Chiang. Furthermore, the Taipei MRT’s decision to operate more frequently encouraged the public to go out during a typhoon. It took a barrage of letters to the mayor’s e-mail inbox and phone calls to the Taipei City Government’s hotline for the concert’s organizers to finally announce its cancelation on the same afternoon it was to be held — an announcement that came far too late. Chiang’s lack of courage, passive behavior and poor judgement were truly disappointing.
Chi An-hsiu
Taipei
Punish abusers, not victims
The story of the director of the Taichung City Government’s Public Transportation and Rapid Transit System Office having allegedly sexually harassed his staff has aroused so much fury and confused many.
At least five of his staff were allegedly sexually harassed, with the earliest case dating back to 2016. One of the victims reported the case to the police and lodged a complaint, and yet the perpetrator had not been indicted until now.
It is confusing. If this is not a cover-up, then what is?
A victim who was allegedly sexually harassed in 2021 had applied for unpaid leave and lodged a complaint with the Transportation Bureau. It was very courageous of her to do so, as she could suffer secondary victimization in this process.
The director of the Transportation Bureau promised to properly address the issue. However, during the 10 months of the victim’s unpaid leave, she did not receive any news and no one was penalized. The victim eventually resigned at the end of the leave.
Why was the victim punished but not the perpetrator? How could people not be angry at this?
During an interpellation session in the city council last year, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said “sisters come forward,” encouraging victims not to stay silent and be brave when facing perpetrators.
Now that victims have stood up to perpetrators, has it yielded any results?
The suspect is not the one who lost their job. It was the victim who had to resign. Has the Taichung City Government fallen asleep?
“Zero tolerance for sexual harassment,” is not just a slogan. The Taichung City Government should do justice to the victims by seeking the truth.
If the victims’ claims are true, then punishment should be meted out. If no action is taken, it would be a sin to allow more people to fall victim to this cause.
Lu’s call for “sisters coming forward” sounds ironic.
Xu Jia-hsin
Taipei
A second chance for inmates
The 59th Golden Bell Awards concluded not long ago, and the Best Supporting Actor award for a TV mini-series went to actor Kai Ko (柯震東), whose career once suffered a major setback due to a marijuana case about 10 years ago.
So, I left an online comment under the related news to congratulate him. However, many sour grapes replied with some negative remarks, such as: “The entertainment world is really tolerant to drug addicts,” and “Can a drug addict win the award?”
As a matter of fact, quite a few outstanding artists in showbiz were once wild when they were young. However, they have come to their senses and demonstrated their artistic talent later in life. While they regain their self-confidence, their works have also brought inspiration to the world.
Two years after his marijuana incident, Ko was finally invited again by director Midi Z (趙德胤) to star in the 2016 film The Road to Mandalay (再見瓦城). After working in factories in Myanmar and Thailand for three months prior to filming, the actor completely transformed into the dark, skinny character who spoke a local Yunnan dialect in front of the audience — as if he were reborn. With this role, he was nominated for Best Actor at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards. Later, he starred in the 2021 blockbuster Till We Meet Again (月老), and he even directed the 2022 film Bad Education (黑的教育), while winning awards one after another. So, it can be said that his hard work has gradually been recognized by the public.
A society that does not accept former inmates might drive them to repeat their mistakes again. In a country that values human rights and does not easily issue the death sentence, should the criterion for judgment not be whether there is a possibility of rehabilitation, and whether Taiwanese society is willing to open up and accept them again?
Only an authoritarian state does not tolerate any mistakes. The People’s Republic of China frequently categorizes artists who break the law or infringe upon work ethics as so-called “bad artists,” but the definition of an infringement seems vague, and there is no concrete law to enforce it. Apart from artists being blocked, the consequences are often far-reaching, regardless of the scale of the mistake. Works that are already on the shelves might be removed or censored. Unreleased works might be banned or have their footage deleted, ignoring the efforts of the cast and crew behind the scenes — not to mention the huge losses.
As long as former inmates do not repeat their mistakes and their behaviors do not endanger people around them, I hope that the law would not be enforced too harshly or too loosely in a country that values human rights as well as the rule of law. We also need to believe that all people have the potential to change for the better, and former inmates should therefore be given a new chance at life.
Shen Pei
Taipei
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