Pray he’s out there
Dear Johnny,
I am writing this from distant shores. I have read online the weird story of the Ma Museum (“Critics slam plans for pricey Ma museum in Miaoli,” June 1, page 1).
I was considering visiting your country, but we in the West are warned as young fellows never to visit a country that has statues, etc, of living politicians.
Does the Ma Museum fit into this category? Is your president considered a god, just like the great leader in North Korea?
What an interesting country Taiwan appears to be, to chronicle the life of a living being.
I read in another paper about his struggle — from a barefooted urchin in rags in Hong Kong to the presidency of your island.
Tony Blair and George W. Bush must be really jealous! Perhaps the pope and Queen Elizabeth should open this great attraction, which would rival the British Museum in its grandeur!
Percy Pitchfork
Tettenhall, United Kingdom
Johnny replies: I like the idea of having a god-president. Not even the Generalissimo himself, at his floridly vain and self-deifying worst, dared to claim he was one and the same as the Yellow Emperor.
So Ma can really break new ground here.
We could open temples in his name.
We could launch a months-long procession around Taiwan with palanquin-bearers jostling with the newly devoted desperate for a glimpse of the ebony Ma figurine behind the curtain.
We could encourage existing temples to place a Ma God next to the Buddha, Lao Zi (老子) and Confucius (孔子).
It’s all good stuff.
And don’t forget: Before the presidential election, Ma’s campaign team released for sale a mahjong tile on a cord bearing the characters jiu (九) and wan (萬) — a reference to the names of Ma and his vice presidential partner — and encouraged people to carry it around for good luck. So don’t tell me that Ma’s boys weren’t aware of the fantastic potential of tapping into their boss’ divine powers.
At the very least, we could dub him Saint Ma, the Patron Saint of Mardi Gras.
So wouldn’t you agree, given all of this, that a humble museum honoring the president is the least we can do?
The problem is, at least half of his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chums think he’s an idiot. There might be some resistance, I fear, to having such a one as he elevated to the pantheon of immortals if there’s no sweetener for the KMT legislative caucus.
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