Who's cleaning up out there in the news today?First up, there's a new Sheriff in town. Crime-ridden
The new guy - Taichung Police Chief Frank Chiu (邱豐光) - is reputedly clean and honest and is acceptable to all sides of the political spectrum though he is reputed to have family ties to the DPP.
If, according to the media, Taichung is a cross between Monga and Infernal Affairs then the new chief has his work cut out for him. I truly wish him good luck and success but I won't be holding my breath.
For the record, in my experience Taichung is a city with rough elements and lots of social issues but it doesn't strike me as any different or more dangerous than any other large city. I agree with a friend of mine that, at least for foreigners, Taichung is far safer than London, New York, Los Angeles and probably even Vancouver. I can walk the streets at any time and not feel under threat. Can't say the same for inner-city Birmingham at 2am.
The issue of Capital Punishment remains in the news. On Saturday, the Taiwan Green Party held a meeting in Taichung to discuss the issue. Here are two good pieces on the intolerance and illogicality of Taiwan's neanderthal law: David Reid and Chiu Hei-yuan 瞿海源. My observation is that in the absence of public confidence in the rule of law, Taiwanese reflexively need the death penalty to calm their fears of rampant crime going unanswered. Whilst there is the perception that the rule of law is applied only to the 'little people' then the 'little people' will want a big 'deterrent' that can symbolically assure them that the grossest crimes will be dealt with harshly. This is not about the actuality of crime or even the police investigation process but rather the perception of crime. EVA and I watched the Taiwanese film Tears at the weekend - a film that exposes the deep seated problems at the heart of crime and law enforcement in Taiwan. There are so many cases of miscarriages of justice - I wonder if Bai Ping Ping would like to explain her reasons for keeping the death penalty to the families of those framed for crimes they didn't commit and murdered by the State to appease the grief of a family and political pressure to get a 'result'?. Sometimes it feels like justice in Taiwan is given to those who cry loudest. Why cope with grief when you can get revenge?
Results are in for local city and county elections. The KMT did as expected whilst the DPP and other pan-green parties slightly increased their representation. All eyes are now on November.
Has NTU been behind the rush to fill Taiwan's private universities with Chinese students? Are they taking the law into their own hands? Just like many schools ignored the new national law on student's dress and appearance so too universities may consider their activities independent of Government control. How else to explain the comments of one professor at a top public university that they ignored the Government's order to remove statues of Chiang from campuses on no grounds other than they felt that 'was a matter for them to decide' (despite being publicly funded)?
For those who don't know, there is a group of very rich and powerful people who meet regularly to decide on macro issues of global management. They are not accountable and their meetings are private (allegedly to allow free expression of opinion). Whilst there is little official information about the 'Bilderberg group', this spoof website has been compiled that gives us an idea of what this utterly undemocratic organ does.
Urban Nomad continues in Taichung. Thanks to Dave for helping to bring us this great festival. This year's films included titles such as Shock Doctrine and The Cove. The festival continues for another week so get out there and show support. On Saturday night, EVA and I watched Sharkwater which I highly recommend to everyone. It specifically highlights the role of Taiwanese gangsters in the the utterly cruel and unnecessary shark fin trade. I suggest that Taiwanese can do 3 things to help the world's environment immediately:
- NEVER order shark fin soup - not for weddings or making your Chinese boss happy.
- Stop burning paper money on the street. It's illegal, dirty and self-harming.
- Don't put your culture, face and reputation before the needs of everyone for a clean and sustainable environment - your culture is not what you think it is - very often it is an economic prop for private vested and political interests (this goes for most cultures in developed economies around the world). Try living on principle - it feels good and eventually people will understand and respect your position. Don't let others turn a difference of opinion into a confrontation and loss of 'face' - stay calm and friendly.
