The agreement to cooperate between KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
For those of us less enamored with the blue camp and with a perhaps more realistic view of Taiwan's political dystopia, the immediate reaction was, in the worlds of baseball great Yogi Berra, "deja vu all over again." Yes, folks we have been here before -- at least twice.
For example, the two parties were supposed to cooperate in the races for county commissioners for the election in December last year as well as hammer out some kind of vote-equalization strategies for the legislative candidates. Such attempts at cooperation were laughable and "pan-blue unity" for all the sweet talk, became an oxymoron as inter-party relations became as edifying as two dogs fighting under a rug.
Then we saw the pathetic attempt to cooperate over the recent Kaohsiung mayoral election. True, cooperation of a sort was finally achieved, but only because Soong couldn't find his own candidate -- even his own vice chairman dropped out of the race.
Not the most impressive of track records.
Of course there are many who will say that the blue camp has learned its lesson, that united it wins office and divided it gets pasted by the DPP -- something that has been apparent ever since the Taipei mayoral election of 1994. But whether this is enough to rein in the giant egos remains to be seen. True connoisseurs of Taiwan's political freak show will now look forward to the clowns beating each other about the heads with inflated opinion polls before slipping on the banana skins of their own shady pasts and dubious relationships.
As usual it is what is deemed "not necessary to deal with right at this moment" that is the essence of the problems surrounding pan-blue cooperation, namely, as Abbott and Costello would put it, who's on first. Is it going to be Lien-Soong or Soong-Lien? We have almost a year of watching these two arm-wrestle over this question. But the result is hardly a cliff-hanger. Soong-Lien is simply never going to happen. Lien has no intention of playing second fiddle again after four -- very undistinguished -- years of it before. Is Soong willing to do so, or is he going to wreck the blue camp's chances a second time? Note the interesting use to which Ma Ying-jeou's (
Already we are seeing polls that suggest a Lien-Ma pairing is a winner. Now polls in Taiwan are almost invariably corrupt, being often the tools of political factions trying to show support for their questionable agendas. So polls showing support for a Lien-Ma pairing are best seen, not as a reflection of what the public really wants but as a message to James Soong that the KMT is quite prepared if need be to go it alone. In which case Soong would have to as well. The implication is that, though this might deny the top job to the KMT, a Lien-Ma pairing would probably take enough votes off Soong to keep him out of office as well. And Soong is of an age where he can't afford another four years in the wilderness. So forget what the polls claim to show, instead see them for what they are -- the KMT's ultimatum Soong can't refuse.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry