Chen's proposal is questionable in terms of both the direction and the spirit of judicial reform. It was deliberately proposed in the name of reform to block the reappointment of Weng -- who will turn 71 on July 1. The lawmaker even quoted Weng and Yang out of context in order to create a false impression. That's how hypocritical and hateful politicians' words can be.

The call by Council for Econo-mic Planning and Development Vice Chairman Chang Jin-sen (張景森) to cancel a planned business exhibition center in Taipei's Nankang District is a further example of such hypocrisy and hatred. His comment revived the fight between the central and Taipei City governments. The controversial statement was debated in the media for three days before the seriously damaged Cabinet made a U-turn, saying that it had no intention of canceling the plan and the whole thing was just a misunderstanding.

In this most recent case of senior government officials shooting themselves in the foot, Chang should not have stated his personal opinion in the way he did. As for Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) -- who is the council chairman -- he failed to comment on the matter in a timely manner. The damage had already been done when he finally spoke out to clarify Chang's opinion. When these officials began talking so carelessly, they were asking for trouble.

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) weekly televised talks -- A-bian Portrait -- are yet another example. In the second episode of the show, Chen said that parents, teachers and students are at a loss as to what to do in the face of education reform. He called for a clear, feasible and complete framework for education reform to be constructed as soon as possible.

Chen's statement was nothing new. But it received extensive coverage because of who he is. At a time when Chen is calling on the government and political parties to withdraw from the media, it is somewhat ironic that he should appear in the media like this.

After Chen made his com-ment, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) also gave a speech on educational reform, saying that the government lacked courage and resolve in conducting a reform policy and that it failed to attach importance to local awareness. But this policy was begun during Lee's presidency. Chen had made a point of mentioning that the policy had been in place for eight years, stressing that its direction was decided when Lee was at the helm. The DPP government is simply following a policy direction set by Lee.

When Lee criticized the educational policy for lacking vitality, it never occurred to him that this was actually his fault. The lion's share of responsibility for the flawed policy -- which he had heavily promoted -- rests with Lee himself. His overemphasis on so-called local awareness is itself one of the sources of today's problems. The whole policy was formed during his 12-year presidency. He should not forget his responsibility when pointing his finger at others.

In the face of the political chaos in this country, these politicians' inappropriate remarks have made the situation even worse. But if we analyze the situation, we will realize that such inappropriate statements in fact have deep political significance. This is indeed a unique political culture.

Chiu Hei-yuan is a research fellow in the Institute of Socio-logy at the Academia Sinica.

TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG