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LETTER: Green card editorial a miss

I was surprised to read the paper's editorial on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) statements about whether or not he possessed a green card ("Ma's colored leadership card," page 8, Jan. 31). Don't misunderstand: The topic followed nicely on the heels of a news piece you published on the details of this attack strategy by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Nevertheless, based on your insightful opinions in the past, I had fully expected another take on the issue and had turned to the opinion page partly to confirm that I was right.

Apparently I was wrong.

Instead of reading that DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) strategy has given the appearance that he is "grasping at straws" over a non-issue -- as I had expected based on your past fair and critical coverage -- I read about Ma's half-truth.

Instead of reading that possession of a green card does not equate to lack of loyalty to one's country (which Ma also said), I read about Ma's supposed lack of integrity over the matter.

And instead of reading that Hsieh would have been better off championing Indiana's recent legislative support for democratic Taiwan (admittedly my home state), I read about Ma's so-called image manipulation of the press.

Yes, considering my well-placed confidence in the Taipei Times' editorials, I must have been wrong.

Or was I? I have chosen to reside in a foreign country for a number of years and not out of necessity. Does that indicate a lack of respect for my home country? In a word, no. It does say something good about the people of Taiwan, but not about my respect for the US.

Similarly, possession of a green card implies that -- at least at the time of application -- there was probably something good about the US. Most people love their home country even if they are open to opportunities elsewhere and to suggest otherwise without clear evidence is unjustified and ill-conceived.

How surprising is it really that a foreign student in the US would apply for a green card? I fail to feel the shock. Nearly every week I see a net-based ad offering me green card services. Apparently, a lot of people outside the US have at least some interest. Didn't many Taiwanese students studying in the US at the same time as Ma spend at least a few moments considering whether they should spend the time and money to apply?

In the US presidential election, a few people will try to make an issue out of Senator Barack Obama's admitted brief use of an illegal substance, but will most Americans really care? Or will they be more focused on the hostility in Iraq, health care (or the lack thereof) and the economy? Most likely the latter. So it is surprising to me that so much focus is being spent on Ma's reasonable action to exercise his legal right to apply for a green card while living abroad. Horror of horrors! Of course, if it turns out that he failed to disclose this when legally or morally obliged to do so, then that's perhaps another matter -- but far from earth-shaking.

Your editorial does get it right when you insist that politicians should be held to a high standard of integrity. And telling us that Ma claimed to be "scrupulous in separating public funds from private interests" is certainly of interest, considering how easy it is for so many politicians (no "defense" intended) to fail to "avoid giving even an appearance of evil" when it comes to special allowance funds. But that's another horse to beat on a different day -- one that you have beat quite well in the past, and rightfully so.

Nevertheless, I remain open to any new developments that might raise this matter to the level of an actual issue, for I -- like you -- am hopeful that Taiwan will elect a leader that truly cares about integrity and values liberty at least as much as the economy, if not more so. Of course, there's no telling what skeletons may lie in the candidates' closets, but one thing's for sure: If they're there -- and sometimes even if they're not -- motivated individuals will swing the doors wide open to reveal them, for better or worse.

But, for now at least, I'm inclined to believe that former or current possession of a green card is not such an objectionable thing. It is perhaps even admirable. And I hope that the DPP and this newspaper can get back to focusing on better things at this crucial juncture.

Jim Goodpaster

Taipei
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