3147 Edition
June 18-24, 2012
Editorial

Translated by Lydia Ma

Myanmar’s democracy pioneer Aung San Suu Kyi finally made a trip to Norway on June 16, 2012 to receive her Nobel Peace Prize that had been awarded to her 21 years ago in 1991. This historic moment was welcomed and attended by many exiled citizens of Myanmar in Norway. As for Aung San Suu Kyi herself, the meaning of this prize is extraordinary, and her efforts to this day as an advocate of democracy in Myanmar proves that she is able to withstand testing, especially the test of time.

It is easy to boast and make promises about the future, but whether these words can withstand the test of time is another story. When the 5 Special Municipalities came into effect a little less than 2 years ago, Taipei City was seen as the most promising new special municipality in terms of transitioning into the new system because its area of jurisdiction had not changed at all. In contrast, Tainan, elevated as a special municipality mainly due to its historical and cultural legacy, was seen as the least promising of all new municipalities because it had less people and therefore, less resources was distributed to it compared to other 4 municipalities. However, time has proven that the wealthiest and most populated city does not always produce the most qualified government. In fact, a government’s reaction to an emergency or catastrophe can be a public test of its capabilities.

It is typhoon season in Taiwan and many cities and counties canceled classes and work on June 12 due to heavy rains. A few weeks before this downpour, Tainan City had already declared that it would boost its water control system to prevent floods – even if that meant going into debt. At 5:50 a.m. on June 12, Tainan City declared that schools and offices would be closed in the morning due to heavy rains. It then announced at 7:30 a.m. that schools and offices would be closed for the entire day. The city government posted this information on its official website as simply as possible so as to enable people to check for updates without causing too much web traffic. It also used social networking sites such as Facebook to get the word out. At the end of the day, Tainan City Mayor William Lai was lauded as the most efficient mayor of all the special municipalities in managing this crisis.

In contrast to Tainan, Taipei’s city government announced that schools and offices would be open in the morning of June 12. After workers and students braved the rainstorm to get to school or work, the city finally announced at 9:30 a.m. that schools and offices would be closed in the afternoon. However, at 9:54 a.m., it abruptly corrected its prior announcement to declare that schools and offices would be closed effective immediately.

Taipei city government’s indecisiveness with regards to whether or not to call a “typhoon break” prompted many residents to check its official website to find out whether they needed to go to work or school, resulting in an Internet traffic jam. Whether city officials in Taipei were really doing their best at managing the city’s affairs became a public topic of discussion and this crisis became a testing rod of the city government’s capabilities.

Another example of a national leader’s sincerity unable to withstand testing is President Ma Ying-jeou’s position on China Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and US beef imports. Ma said very publicly in August 2007 that he opposed the use of ractopamine. He went on to say in November 2007 that CPC should first make its production costs transparent for all to see before any negotiations to increase the price of oil could be considered. However, he has made an about-face recently by supporting US beef imports and increasing energy and fuel prices a few weeks ago. His actions prove his true intentions and his inability to withstand scrutiny.

As citizens, we are called to scrutinize and evaluate our governments. As Christians, we are continually living out our lives under God’s careful watch. Every move we make must be able to withstand scrutiny. Jesus once said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is our point of reference when evaluating others and ourselves in everything we do in life.

This week coincides with the graduation of many seminarians who have undergone 3 to 7 years of training and are now set to begin a new chapter in their lives and serve God at various churches and organizations. My prayer is that we would support and guide them with our loving counsel, and thus help them settle into the places they are called to serve. I pray that they will continually persevere, reflect, draw near to God, and be people after God’s own heart who are able to withstand the test of time and bless their churches.