Taiwan, a citadel of democracy or an island of greed?

After reading the article, I was deeply disturbed by the writer’s apprehension on Taiwan.

At first glance, it would seem that this article is about the farming malpractices in Taiwan. However, the second half of the article is about illegal animal slaughtering and general complaints on Taiwan. I was left wondering what was the connection that the writer drew between “democracy” and “greed” that are featured in his article title.

As a reader, I can only infer that the article implies that greed—equated with illegal pesticide spraying and animal slaughtering—is a stain on the democracy that Taiwan is so proud of. The writer says, “The mentality of some farmers in southern Taiwan is that ‘those rich people in Taipei are immune to pesticides.’” I do not know which source has led the writer to reach this conclusion, but this seems a politically incorrect and convenient generalization that reinforces the misunderstanding between “Taipei people” and Southern people.

At the end of the article, the writer lists his other apprehensions of Taiwan, which include the lack of consideration for pedestrians, male chauvinism, and ethnocentrism. While these are indeed amongst the bad impressions that many people who visit the island for the first time are left with, I do not understand how these are related to greed? And how do these discredit Taiwan’s democracy?

This article would make sense if the writer’s intention is to remind Taiwanese people that despite enjoying the benefits of a liberal democracy, we need to be more sophisticated about social responsibility and awareness. However, the writer’s claim that Taiwan is a place that lacks “respect of law and humanity,” exposes the writer’s need of greater sensitivity. If Taiwan—one of the few places in the world where one can fall asleep on public transport at night without fear—is a place that lacks respect of law and humanity, I don’t know which other place is.

Emilia Cheng

Emilia, I think - although the author's point may not have been very well-reasoned - that he was having a go at Taiwan's rather strange approach to non-criminal law.

Yes, Taiwan has one of the lowest rates in the world for egregious crimes - muggings, murder, rape, burglary, and suchlike - and rarely uses draconian punishments. That's something to be proud of. However, it's the loose bag of laws that constrain the excesses of an industrial society (such as, thou shalt not dump pollutants in rivers, mistreat animals, drive like a maniac, or misuse agricultural chemicals) that are widely ignored, both by the public and by enforcers, all of whom seem slightly bemused by the actual existence of such laws. I suspect it's an education problem - the education system places far too much emphasis on academic study and very little on becoming a mature human being with a broad understanding of the world.

And yet, these things ARE related to greed. People in Taiwan have a very narrow view of what "wealth" is. They generally equate wealth with money, and Chinese culture seems to venerate money (that is, currency) for its own sake. Healthy ecosystems are not considered "wealth", and are blithely destroyed in the name of profit. Not unique to Taiwan, of course, but certainly more pronounced.