Pro-independence academics slammed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
On Thursday, Ma launched his latest book, entitled Taiwan Spirit, which explores the connection between the KMT and Taiwan.
While Ma denied using the book as a campaign tool, it was apparent that the book, with its Taiwan-centric rhetoric, was an attempt to gain popularity among ethnic Taiwanese.
However, members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP) yesterday criticized the book.
TAUP Chairman Tsai Ting-kuei (
"It's true that most of us [Taiwanese] are descendants of immigrants from China ... However, being Taiwan-centric is about embracing the island that we live on now," he said. "But Ma spent too much of the book making the connection between Taiwan and China."
Ma emphasized in his book that most Taiwanese are descendants of Chinese immigrants and praised figures such as former Chinese governor in Taiwan Liu Ming-chuan (劉銘傳), dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) for their "contribution to Taiwan."
"If Ma really had Taiwan on his mind when he wrote the book, he should have included people like Lei Chen (雷震) or Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), not just those who are connected to China or the KMT," said Lee Shiao-feng (李筱峰), a professor of Taiwanese history at Shih Hsin University and a long-time independence advocate.
Although he was born in China and fled to Taiwan with the KMT, Lei devoted himself to a movement against the KMT regime and was imprisoned for 10 years. Lei was also an advocate of Taiwanese independence. Deng was the child of a Chinese refugee who fled China when the communists won the civil war. Deng also advocated Taiwanese independence and human rights.
On April 7, 1989, Deng, then editor-in-chief of Freedom Era Weekly (
Lee called Ma's book nonsense, adding that "Ma couldn't even get the basics right."
"In the book, [Ma] said that the name `Taiwan' was given by the Chinese; but it's long been known by historians that the word `Taiwan' was originally the name of a Siraya community in Tainan," Lee told the forum.
Siraya is an ancient Aboriginal tribe that inhabited the Tainan region centuries ago.
"Apparently Ma's so-called `Taiwan centricity' is merely a tool to connect Taiwan to China," Lee said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai