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LETTERS : Ma, before and after

Before the March 22 election, president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) cherished “Taiwan” like a passport to enter the Presidential Office. With his broken Taiwanese, he succeeded in convincing many Taiwanese to vote for him.

After Ma won the election, unfortunately, he has begun to “expose his horse feet.”

Rightfully, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have criticized Ma and say he is now treating Taiwan like toilet paper (“Ma is treating ‘Taiwan’ like toilet paper, DPP says,” April 4, page 2).

Before the election, Ma kept saying Taiwan this, Taiwan that and whatever he said was all for “Taiwan.” His campaign slogan was “Taiwan marches forward.” Wisely, he never mentioned a single word of the “Republic of China” or “China” in his campaign speeches.

Ma’s attitude toward Taiwan has reversed. He has practically abandoned the Taiwanese in his speeches. He has begun to talk about the so-called “1991 consensus and one China with respective descriptions,” “acceptance of one nation,” and possible name changes of “Taiwan Postal Service” to “Chinese Postal Service” and “Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall” to “Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.”

Democracy, rather than dictatorship or individual worship, is the value of Taiwan. The new president should never move backward or “dismantle the bridge after he has crossed the river.”

“When the law meets Ma, it makes a turn” is a popular saying in Taiwan now. In the peoples minds, even if Ma does or says something wrong, he is not guilty before pan-blue judges and acceptable to the pan-blue news media. No one is above the law. This is a golden rule for any administration.

The DPP should be saluted for their sportsmanship after losing both the legislative elections and the presidential election. They have not staged any protests or demonstrations.

Charles Hong

Columbus, Ohio
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