【原載】2008.2.26 Taipei TImes
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Candidates lacking cultural vision
By Jian Miao-ju and Tang Shih-che 簡妙如,唐士哲
Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008, Page 8
Recently, the fire at the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (雲門舞集) rehearsal space and warehouse has incited public concern over the government's cultural policies. As the troupe's leader Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) criticized politicians for paying lip service to supporting culture but lacking any long-term vision, various civic bodies correspondingly expressed their concern and support.
While criticizing the meagerness of the government's cultural budget, the argument also emerged that funding is not the only issue involved. With the presidential election moving into the debate phase, we feel that whether the candidates hold the typical politician's narrow and mistaken attitudes toward cultural policy is an issue of concern to the public.
Cultural policy cannot be sustained by only ideologies of efficiency and utilitarianism. In recent years, the government has repeatedly put forth slogan-style cultural and education policies, such as: "50 billion in five years," "The culture and creative industry development act" and "The digital content industry development act," which easily turn culture into a target to be achieved in a few short years, or use "culture and creativity" as a selling point for rapidly increasing the GDP and increasing employment opportunities.
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