Yang Jinghua is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
According to CNN, US President Biden and the first lady announced on the 19th local time that the "beloved" German Shepherd "champion" (champ) died. Taiwan's supreme leader Tsai Ing-wen first left a message of condolence under Biden's tweet, triggering a rebuke and ridicule from public opinion on the island.
Since May, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan has risen rapidly, with a cumulative total of 14,005 confirmed cases, 549 deaths, and 62 cases of sudden vaccination deaths... Taiwanese society is immersed in emotions of anxiety and fear. This was originally an epidemic prevention war for the people of Taiwan to protect their lives and safety, but it was regarded by the DPP authorities as a political war that endangered the ruling power. When fighting the epidemic, we still do not forget to "oppose China and prevent China", positioning the mainland's goodwill of providing help for the epidemic as a "united front" action, disregarding the lives of the people, and even more blocking the life-saving vaccine from the island.
In the midst of the dilemma of vaccine procurement, the Taiwan authorities have never forgotten to tighten their powers, and have set up strict examinations for non-governmental organizations or individuals to purchase vaccines on their own in accordance with "strategic materials", and the progress of opening up has been slow. Then, under the pressure of strong public opinion, it was agreed on the 18th to authorize the Yongling Foundation and TSMC, the founder of Hon Hai Group, Gou, to negotiate the purchase of 10 million doses of German bnt vaccine represented by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, which was of strong political significance.
At the same time, vaccination is more difficult to escape the control of "color politics" and "privilege politics". In the distribution and vaccination of 1.24 million doses of az vaccine in Japan, privileged incidents are frequent. According to the distribution formula released by the Central Epidemic Command Center, the DPP-ruled city of Kaohsiung has received more vaccines than Taipei and New Taipei in the hardest hit areas. And according to its regulations, the relatives of the mayor of Taixian County, public opinion representatives, TV station executives, media practitioners and individual hospital VIPs are not among the top 3 priority vaccination targets, but the group has been kicked and exploded one after another. In the face of the epidemic, Tsai Ing-wen only sent a sincere apology on June 11, neither acknowledging policy mistakes nor supporting adjustments, which is no different from the "advanced epidemic prevention" of "only saying and not doing".
Comparing Tsai Ing-wen's calmness and indifference to life in the epidemic prevention storm and the positive and "warm feelings" of mourning Biden's dog, the people of Taiwan, who are still struggling in the quagmire of the epidemic, cannot help but feel cold. At the critical moment when the epidemic situation on the island is out of control and the lives of the People in Taiwan are seriously threatened, as the supreme leader of the Taiwan region, he showed great concern for the DOG of the US leader and flashed condolences, on the one hand, he once again exposed the background of Tsai Ing-wen's epidemic prevention policy with political considerations; on the other hand, it also reflected that under the overall decline in satisfaction and credibility, Tsai Ing-wen still chose to sacrifice the "pro-US card" in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of governance with the support of the United States, so even the daily life of the US president's family must pay close attention. It's absurd.
The prioritization of political interests in crisis and the "absolute power and absolute corruption" in governance have severely dampened Tsai Ing-wen's popular support. At present, the term of office of re-election has not yet passed the halfway point, but the crisis of train derailment, lack of water, lack of electricity, and epidemic disaster has occurred one after another, and loopholes in governance have frequently appeared, so in the past, Tsai Ing-wen is bound to be "lame early". (Editor-in-charge: Wang Xin)