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EDITORIAL: The KMT's take on the common man

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) patronizing comments earlier this month toward Aboriginal community leaders in Sindian (新店), Taipei County, exposed an elitist and chauvinist side to his persona that has hardly been seen before.

But further investigation into the circumstances in which the comments were made also help to discredit election promises made by Ma and his party to Aboriginal people.

The Aborigines of Sijhou Community (溪洲部落) had looked to Ma for help in their battle against eviction from the place they have called home for several decades.

Community leaders pleaded with the KMT's standard bearer after the Taipei County Government gave villagers until the end of the year to vacate the area -- for their own safety, they were told, because their houses are situated on a flood plain.

However, community leaders suspect the real reason behind the KMT-controlled county government's move is that a vast swath of the river bank has been earmarked for a 4.65km-long riverside park stretching from Hsiulang Bridge (秀朗橋) to scenic Bitan (碧潭).

The Aboriginal community has been offered, as compensation, an "apartment complex constructed especially for Aborigines" where they will enjoy reduced rent. But leaders are worried that this will have a devastating effect on their traditionally communal lifestyle.

The Aborigines' concerns seem to have fallen on deaf ears with both the county government and Ma, despite their loyal support for the KMT at election time.

They are not alone, as the owners of small businesses and coffee shops in Bitan face a similar fate. They were ordered to pack up and leave when the county government decided to make the renovation of the popular riverside spot part of its plans.

Many of the traders, who have worked on the site for decades, are unhappy.

They say it will be difficult to afford to stay in the area when work is complete. They fear the government's plans to make the area more "upmarket" will squeeze out small businesses in favor of chain stores and larger operators.

Herein lies Ma's problem.

The KMT, in its bid to win back power, has spent countless hours and millions of dollars to ensure the legislative and presidential election campaigns remain focused on the only thing that the KMT can be proud of from its decades of authoritarian rule: improvements to the economy and standard of living.

The party's election message has been all about how it intends to stick up for the "little guy" in the face of the growing threat posed by the global economy. However, the reality in Sindian and many other locations in recent years paints an entirely different picture.

Put aside the faux concern for the common man, the donning of a farmer's hat and the blue plastic flip-flops, and the message to the stallholders of Bitan, the lepers of Losheng Sanatorium, the artists and residents of Treasure Hill (寶藏巖) and the foodstall holders of Jiancheng Circle (建成圓環) is chillingly similar to that given to the Sijhou Aborigines: When you live in the big city, you have to play by its rules.

Roughly translated, this means: If you stand between the KMT and the path of development, your livelihood isn't so important after all.
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