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EDITORIAL: Ying¡¦s
words opportunity to reflect
After it was revealed that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor
Angela Ying (À³¾åÁ¨) had praised the Taipei City Government for hosing down a park
in Wanhua District (¸UµØ) to drive our homeless people ¡X not quite the Christmas
spirit ¡X her comments and the issue of homeless people has set off intense
public debate. While many have said that spraying the park with water on a cold
winter evening displays a cruel lack of humanity, Ying does not, in fact, lack
compassion ¡X she has long worked for the welfare of prison inmates and is a
board member of an animal protection association.
Yet, how could someone working to protect animal rights promote such cruel
treatment of a disadvantaged group such as the homeless? Ying¡¦s subsequent
apologies have done little to stem the wave of criticism.
Wanhua has long been seen as the ¡§home¡¨ of the homeless, prostitutes and
small-time gangsters, affecting community development. Lately, the number of
homeless people has increased, making it more difficult to deal with them. It is
understandable that concerned local residents have asked city councilors and the
city government to deal with the issue. However, Ying¡¦s statements, both in the
Taipei City Council and on her Facebook page, are brimming with prejudice and
animosity, as just two examples show:
¡§Most homeless people in Wanhua drink and gamble every day, and some of them
have HIV/AIDS¡¨; and, ¡§In the past few years, more than one of them [the
homeless] have been executed. They have raped and killed several people; among
them, the youngest, a three-year-old and a woman.¡¨
Homelessness is a seemingly unavoidable issue for any society or urban
metropolis. It does not represent the more glorious aspects of a society, but
the homeless cannot be swept away or gotten rid of. People become homeless for
many reasons: 1) they¡¦ve stopped looking for a job following long-term
unemployment; 2) they¡¦re looking for a job, but cannot find one; 3) they suffer
from mental or physical impairment; 4) they oppose social norms, and so on. US
studies have shown that homeless people are not necessarily low-income earners
with a poor educational background, have a low IQ or have difficulties fitting
in, nor have their family or social support networks necessarily broken down.
Many used to be managers, engineers, accountants, lawyers or teachers who became
homeless when their businesses failed, they were laid off or their families
broke up ¡X big blows that weaken their ability to cope and result in mental
distress or psychological breakdown.
Taiwan¡¦s economy has gone through major changes, unemployment has risen,
salaries have dropped, the middle class has come under pressure, housing prices
have shot through the roof and many people have lost their jobs and their homes.
Anyone can lose their home, and according to data from the Ministry of the
Interior, the number of homeless people in Taiwan increased by 67 percent over
the past 10 years. This is both a terrifying number and reality. Still, the
government has never dealt directly with the issue or tried to improve the
situation. Instead, Ying urged authorities to ¡§point the water hose at the
homeless,¡¨ reflecting a neglect of the government¡¦s duties.
The recent debate has made people take another look at the homeless. Ying has
served as a mirror through which we can see the darker side of humanity, but her
remarks also stirred a lot of compassion and hopes to lend a helping hand. The
government should stop ignoring the issue by sweeping it under the rug and
instead begin to work together with private organizations, churches, temple
associations and community organizations to help the homeless through job
counseling, mental health therapy, care placement, medical treatment and other
means of social support, rather than viewing them as a cancer on society.
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