The insane politicization of Covid in Taiwan

 The insane politicization of Covid here appears to know no bounds. I get angry when I see politicians scoring points off each other over things like healthcare, like the National Health Service in the U.K. and ObamaCare in the U.S. 

Healthcare should be largely outside of party politics, much like education. The health and education of the people are paramount, correct? Broadly speaking everyone should be pulling together to achieve the best result and put aside political point-scoring and ridiculous theatrics in Parliament on such issues. Particularly at a time of national emergency.       

At least the U.K. and U.S. seem to be trying hard to avoid their political differences and there is at least a sense of bipartisanship over Covid and what is probably their greatest threat since World War Two.

Many other countries have also seen the political divide narrow over the Covid issue as they work hard to do the best for their populations...Not in Taiwan, apparently.

After weeks of, frankly, idiotic questions and attacks on the Health Minister by the opposition in Parliament, comes an admission by the Deputy Taipei City Mayor that she is not picking up his calls, despite the fact she is supposed to be the Deputy Commander for Taipei for dealing with virus and attends daily meetings at the Ministry. 

At the zenith of the effort to deal with the pandemic, the rollout of the vaccine, and at a time other cities around the country are, as I write, lining people up and sticking needles in their arms, Taipei City has yet to get its act together.

She, and I’ll say it again...Is Not Picking Up Her Phone to the Minister for Health. To then boast about it on Facebook is breathtakingly arrogant and a slap in the face to the people she is there to represent. 

To my mind, that is almost criminal dereliction of public duty and displays an utter contempt of the people of Taipei she is supposed to protect and serve. 

I’m sure the oath of office she swore would have said she promised to do both. Instead she plays childish political games and, much like her boss, blames the Central Government for her own local failings.

Her boss seems to believe other Cities are doing better than Taipei because of “Insider Trading” which is not only a meaningless and weak metaphor, but displays a victim complex only surpassed by his inadequacy and ability to deal with the situation. 

There is an old English saying about people who point the finger and blame others for their own mistakes...A bad workman always blames his tools.

《在台灣被瘋狂政治化的Covid議題》 在台灣，對 Covid 的瘋狂政治化似乎是無止境的。 當我看到政客們利用醫療保健等問題試圖獲得政治紅利時，我很生氣，比如英國的國民醫療保健服務和美國的歐巴馬醫保。 醫療保健應該在很大程度上脫離黨派政治，就像教育一樣。 人民的健康和教育是最重要的，對嗎？ 從廣義上講，每個人都應該齊心協力，在這兩方面取得最佳結果，並在此類問題上將政治得分和議會中的荒謬戲劇擱置一旁。 特別是在國家面臨緊急狀態的時候。 至少英國和美國似乎正在努力避免他們的政治分歧，並且至少在 Covid 上存在兩黨合作的感覺，因為這可能是他們自第二次世界大戰以來最大的威脅。 在許多其他國家我也看到在 Covid 問題上的政治分歧縮小，因為他們努力為本國人民做到最好……但顯然不是在台灣。 在反對黨對衛福部長進行了數週的愚蠢提問和攻擊之後，我得坦率地描述這些攻擊，台北市副市長承認她沒有接聽他的電話，儘管她擔任台北市疫情副指揮官， 也出席應對病毒在衛福部舉行的每日會議。 就在我寫這些文字的同一時刻，為了抵抗傳染病大流行，全世界都竭盡所能開始施打疫苗，全台灣其他城市的人們排隊等著在他們手臂上扎一針，但是台北市尚未一起行動。 她，我再說一遍……她沒有接衛福部長給她的電話， 然後在 Facebook 上吹噓。這是令人嘆為觀止的傲慢，幾乎像是一記耳光打在她代表的人民臉上。在我看來，這幾乎是瀆職罪，是對她應該保護和服務的台北人民的極度蔑視。 我敢肯定，她宣誓就職時承諾保護和服務市民兩者都做。但是相反地，她玩著幼稚的政治遊戲，就像她的老闆一樣，將自己在當地的失敗歸咎於中央政府。 她的老闆似乎認為其他城市比台北做得更好是因為“內線交易”，這不僅是一個毫無意義和薄弱的比喻，而且沒有什麼能夠超越他的受害者情結了，除了他無法應對情況的能力。 有一句古老的英語諺語說，人們總是把自己的錯誤歸咎於他人……一個糟糕工人總是責怪他的工具。