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  Who is Really Tom Chou? - Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in St. Lucia 駐聖露西亞大使館
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Who is Really Tom Chou?

Post Date:2008-11-08


Who is Really Tom Chou?



The Voice, 8th November, 2008, Saint Lucia


Who is Really Tom Chou?

By Denys Springer

This is the question that many Saint Lucians are asking as they see him on their television screen or listening to the news on radio explaining the different projects that his embassy has funded or is about to fund. His presence here has touched many constituencies in one way or another. Many projects whether it may be drainage, footpaths or otherwise has been of tremendous benefit to the country moreso during the heavy rains we have had over the last few months.

Yet, his presence here over the last year and a quarter has not been without controversy especially when considering which side of the political divide you belong to. Due to our breaking diplomatic relations with China and renewing our relations with Taiwan many people have warmed to the Ambassador while others have stayed clear of him for their own political reasons.

We have heard so many negative remarks about the Taiwanese Ambassador mainly due to renewing our diplomatic ties with Taiwan that I sat and wondered how much do Saint Lucians know about this quiet unassuming man. In his early days in Saint Lucia many of us made judgments based on what he was alleged to have said. Such as questioning why Saint Lucia needed such a huge psychiatric hospital. Although in retrospect he was right in asking a valid question. Many of us did not take time to analyze why he was asking this particular question. The opposition and many of us jumped on his neck and thought that it was not protocol for him to ask such questions. Many of us allowed our political affiliations to be a barrier to a pertinent question. On reflection when looking at the question in the true light of the day he was perfectly right to ask such pertinent questions on that particular project for several reasons.

Firstly his country was being asked to continue the work dumped on the government for renewing diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Secondly he was merely stating a fact that was not considered in that having built such a huge building had we considered the maintenance cost over the years. To build a magnificent structure is not sufficient. The upkeep of such buildings is a very costly matter if not it will decay rapidly. Thirdly was Saint Lucia advertising itself as having the most mental patients in the Eastern Caribbean that we need such a big white elephant to house them? The Ambassador was comparing the buildings in relation to a population of 164,000 thousand people compared to 23 million in his country that does not have such huge buildings to house mental patients. Why? The Ambassador is of the belief that a number of mental patients if given reasonable care within the community don't need to be institutionalized and if they are then they must be given proper care and a suitable environment to recover.

As I indicated in other previous articles, I was not too keen on Saint Lucia changing our diplomatic ties like a yoyo and therefore did not expect that my path would cross that of the Ambassador. But as fate would have it our paths did cross and I immediately decided to make an effort to interview him.

It was then I began to realize how different and warm the Ambassador was compared to the image some had portrayed him to be and without a doubt he was nothing like his Chinese counterparts. This first meeting with him was rather cordial and warm.

I also immediately saw him as a person who can easily be misunderstood unless you were prepared to listen intently to what he had to say. Later I got to know him first as a person who is warm and caring not only about his people but to humanity on the whole. I also realized that he was a strong family man, happily married to a loving wife who is a Roman Catholic and the father of two sons. He is also an individual who loved sports and participates in games such as tennis, golf, table tennis, basketball, judo etc. He is well qualified in that he holds a B.A., MA and has a Senior Managers certificate in Government which he attained from Harvard University.

In listening to him I realized that his thoughts and his government policy towards smaller island states like Saint Lucia which was a concern of mine were encouraging and humane as they do care about the future of our country. The continued snubbing of the Ambassador by other parties is sad not only for their constituencies but they have failed to get to know the man.

Over the pursuing months I have realized that this individual whom we called the Ambassador is a determined man, a man of action especially when it appertains to improving the country's infrastructure. He was adamant as he spoke to me that he was not here to tell us how to run the affairs of our country. In effect both he and his staff are very conscious that they must not be seen under any circumstances to be interfering in the country's affairs.

The route to being an ambassador was done through the ranks and that he did with patience and dedication as he had chosen this way of life as a career. The Ambassador has got to his position through a long process which began in 1978 when he was a Section Chief in the Hualien Harbour Police Bureau. This was the beginning of a long diplomatic career. In 1982 he was made Desk Officer in the Personnel Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs R.O.C. It was after this that we really began to see the seeds of a true diplomat having been sent to South Africa in March 1986 as Consulate-General of the Republic of China in Cape Town. His rise from there was phenomenal. Having gone through the ranks of Assistant Counselor and section Chief, Deputy Director General Taipei Economic and Cultural office in New York he went on to be the Executive Secretary, Chairperson Congressional Liaison office, Secretary General.

From July 2007 to the present he has been Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia. This was not his first appointment to the Caribbean because prior to that he served as Charge d'Affaires for the Embassy of the Republic of China in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from April 1998 to July 2001.

Lookout for part 2 next week.