Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Enoch Wu (吳怡農) faced tough odds in a predominantly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) constituency in Taipei’s legislative by-election on Sunday. As the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate in an area covering Zhongshan (中山) and northern Songshan (松山) districts, Wu early in the campaign resisted pressure from within his party to change what they saw as a losing strategy.

Although he was defeated, Wu managed to secure a record number of votes for the DPP in a KMT stronghold.

I fully approve of the structural changes the government has made to Taiwan’s military service system to enhance the battle preparedness of draftees.

However, there remains a lack of complementary provisions to cultivate a level of preparedness among the general public, such that any talk of “all-out national defense,” including the nation as a whole, remains empty words.

Despite the arrangements for the annual Wan An air drills — the series of military exercises and civil defense drills preparing Taiwanese for emergency situations — the majority of the public are still going about their everyday lives as if there is no immediate danger.