As pan-green figures struggle to find an appropriate response to the barrage of positive publicity that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has received, the nation's top executive had an unusual proposal: Don't worry about it.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), widely viewed as the most likely Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate in 2008, said yesterday that he would rather find ways to work with Ma and get things done, than fret about his popularity.
"Ma Ying-jeou has his charisma. [The pan-greens] don't have to repel him, nor do we need to do anything about it," Su said.
Su made the remarks when asked by Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator (TSU) Yin Ling-ying (尹伶瑛) what he would do if the "Ma phenomenon" that has apparently swept across the US hits Taiwan after the KMT chairman, who is also the Taipei mayor, returns home.
"It's more important for me to deal with natural disasters such as floods or typhoons, than to control Ma," Su said.
Yin pressed on, asking Su whether he would do anything to put Ma "in check" before the 2008 election, to which the premier responded by saying that he was in no hurry to "check" the KMT chairman, and that he rather "hoped that Ma would cooperate with me in fighting floods, which is a more urgent problem."
Nevertheless, everyone was ready to weigh in on the "Ma Ying-jeou phenomenon."
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"It shows that everyone has a favorable impression of Ma. Everyone loves Ma. You can call that the `Ma Ying-jeou phenomenon,'" Wang said.
Even Vice President Annette Lu (
But DPP spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (
Tsai said the "Ma Ying-jeou phenomenon" was a mere flash in the pan because of his ambiguous China policy proposals, and that the extensive coverage that Ma enjoyed during his US visit would be short-lived.
KMT Legislator Sun Ta-chien (
But not all pan-blue members were ready to hop on board the Ma train.
KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (
"I feel sorry that I was born too short. If I were 10cm taller, there would be a `Hung Hsiu-chu phenomenon,'" she said.
But the People First Party (PFP) caucus said that the Ma phenomenon was mostly a result of the DPP's poor governance.
PFP caucus whip Lee Hung-chun (
And some DPP members admitted that they would have a tough time dealing with Ma's popularity. DPP Legislator Chen Chin-jun (
Chen added that the "Ma Ying-jeou phenomenon" was actually all sizzle and no steak, and that Ma had demonstrated his incompetence in his governing of Taipei City.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Yu Shyi-kun will hold a news conference today to review all of the comments that Ma made during his recent trips.
"Yu will invite Ma to debate China policy, since Ma has failed to articulate his stance on cross-strait relations and has proposed so many different versions of it, which is confusing," Tsai said yesterday. "Yu will personally join in the debate, and expects to debate with Ma, KMT Chinese Affairs Department Director Chang Jung-kung (
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