theSun | WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 2009
news without borders
Anger eases in Taiwan
after premier replaced
TAIPEI: Public anger over the Taiwan
president’s handling of a deadly
typhoon last month is expected to
subside with the appointment of a
China-savvy new premier known for
decisive leadership.
Taiwan’s financial markets
largely ignored President Ma Ying-
jeou’s decision to replace Premier
Liu Chao-shiuan with ruling party
official Wu Den-yih. Taiwan stocks
rose to their highest in a year and
the Taiwan dollar strengthened amid
better-than-expected trade figures.
“Investors anticipated a reshuffle,
they wanted a reshuffle, because
they were expecting someone more
capable to lead the country,” said
Alex Huang, a research director at
Mega International Securities Co.
Analysts said public anger at what
many saw as a poor response to
Typhoon Morakot, the island’s worst
storm in 50 years, would likely ease.
Morakot killed up to 763 people as
it drenched the island from Aug. 7-9
and set off massive mudslides.
Taiwan’s 42-member cabinet
has also offered to resign, but not all
members are likely to be replaced
and no changes to the government’s
foreign, China or economic policies
are expected.
“Wu will show a new face to the
public,” said George Tsai, a political
scientist at the Chinese Cultural
University in Taipei.
“He’s more stern, more aggres-
sive and he’d be more responsive to
people’s demands.”
Taiwan leaders typically replace
top officials in response to criticism
of the government. Ma’s pred-
ecessor, Chen Shui-bian, changed
premiers six times in eight years,
seldom causing alarm.
Ma’s response to the storm has
badly dented his popularity ahead
of local elections in December.
“Although anger has died down
considerably, confidence has not
been restored,” said Joseph Cheng,
a political science professor at City
University of Hong Kong.
“The handling of the entire in-
cident exposes weaknesses of the
Ma administration, his ability to com-
mand full control of the government
machinery.”
Wu is expected to follow Ma’s
broader agenda of seeking peace
with political rival China to shore up
the island’s flagging economy while
satisfying foreign powers that want
tensions eased.
Wu, 61, is now ruling Nationalist
Party (KMT) secretary-general and
a legislator who earlier served as
mayor of Kaohsiung, a major south
Taiwan port city, for eight years.
He said he advised Ma a day after
the typhoon to declare a state of
emergency, a suggestion that went
unheeded.
Described as a well-connected
smooth talker, Wu said last month
he was keen to push for more trade
links with China but would hold off
on political dialogue for a number of
years while the two sides sought to
build confidence.
“Goodwill is something that’s
got to be cumulative,” Wu said in a
recent interview. – Reuters
Obama urges kids
to stay in school
WASHINGTON: President
Barack Obama planned to urge
children to study hard and stay
in school in a back-to-school
address yesterday that had some
conservatives seeing red.
“Every single one of you has
something you’re good at. Every
Citizen single one of you has something
Nades to offer. And you have a respon-
Why sibility to yourself to discover
what that is,” Obama said on
bother Monday in remarks prepared
with for delivery.
audit “That’s the opportunity an
education can provide.”
reports The president was to make
pg 13 the back-to-school speech at a
high school in Arlington, Vir-
ginia, and it was to be aired in
schools throughout the country.
Some school districts decided
not to air the speech, others said
they would leave the decision to
teachers and school principals,
and some offered opt-outs for
children whose parents do not
want them to see or hear the
address.
“You can’t drop out of school
and just drop into a good job.
You’ve got to work for it and
train for it and learn for it,”
Obama warned, adding “this
isn’t just important for your own
life and your own future.
“What you make of your edu-
cation will decide nothing less
than the future of this country.”
White House spokesman
Robert Gibbs said a text of the
speech was posted on the White
House website in advance for all
of those with doubts about it to
see.
“I think it’s a sad, sad day that
the political back and forth has
intruded on anyone speaking to
schoolchildren and teachers and
parents about the responsibilities
that they have as we enter a new
school year,” he told reporters.
Some conservative critics
feared that the aim of the speech
was to recruit US kids to the lib-
eral cause and brainwash them
with socialism.
Their ire was sparked in part
by a “Menu of Classroom Activi-
ties” which the Department of
Education sent to schools around
the country when the speech
was announced. One of the
activities suggested that school
children write about “how they
could help the president.”
“That’s Obama-centric. It’s
not focused on education but on
9
the worship of Barack Obama,”
Michael Leahy, spokesman for
the conservative grassroots
Nationwide Tea Party Coali-
tion, told AFP.
“This is indoctrination,
pure and simple, into the cult
of Barack Obama, and we are
opposed to that,” he said.
Jim Greer, chairman of the
Republican Party of Florida,
raged that “Pied Piper Obama”
was going “into the American
classroom” to spread socialist
ideology.
“President Obama has a
vision for America which is
government in our lives in every
aspect. That’s not the vision that
I and many parents across this
country want,” he told CNN.
But Obama’s speech merely
drew a link between personal
responsibility and patriotism.
“What you’re learning in
school today will determine
whether we as a nation can
meet our greatest challenges in
the future.
“You’ll need the knowledge
and problem-solving skills
you learn in science and math
to cure diseases like cancer
and AIDS, and to develop new
energy technologies and protect
our environment.
“You’ll need the insights and
critical thinking skills you gain
in history and social studies to
fight poverty and homelessness,
crime and discrimination, and
make our nation more fair and
more free,” Obama said.
“You’ll need the creativity and
ingenuity you develop in all your
classes to build new companies
that will create new jobs and
boost our economy.” – AFP