On Monday afternoon, the KMT unveiled its latest assault on truth in advertising. This time, instead of titillating the public with a bevy of scantily clad muscle men (and one woman, just to keep things politically correct), the spin-doctors rounded up a bunch of pitiful urchins to portray the innocent victims of an uncaring government's inept economic policies.
The ad features one mournful tyke who pleads with the viewing audience to help find his father a job, while in another equally heart-wrenching scene, a young boy resigns himself to going on a diet since his family can no longer afford lunch money. As we sniffle into our hankies and dab our eyes, we are treated to one final scene of the party emblem with the words "remember the peace and tranquility of days gone by," a less than subtle reference to the supposedly halcyon days of KMT rule.
During the rollout of this latest commercial, party spokesman Wang Chih-kang (
He further stressed that the KMT hopes the ad will help convince the government to spend less time on pointless political disputes and more time on economic development. If this is the point of the ad, then the viewing public should respond with a loud cry of "Physician, heal thyself!" -- or, more appropriately, "Politician, heed thyself!" -- for it is the KMT's own selfish campaign to sabotage all ruling party initiatives that is responsible for much of the political bickering.
It is quite true that many in Taiwan are pining for the good old days of high growth and low unemployment. However, it is not true that all people in Taiwan automatically associate those fat years with KMT rule. In fact, many people argue that the real "Taiwanese miracle" is that the country's economy flourished despite the KMT! The people are not stupid: they are well aware that most of the current problems are attributable to slowdowns in the US and Japanese economies, and are thus beyond the government's control.
They are also aware that Taiwan's current troubles have been exacerbated by flaws in the nation's financial system left over from years of KMT crony capitalism. Furthermore, as recent polls have shown, people realize that the KMT-dominated legislature bears most of the responsibility for the government's inability to implement long-overdue reforms. In sum, people are simply not going to swallow the KMT version hook, line and sinker.
Instead, people are likely to put their own spin on the ad's closing voiceover. When the announcer asks viewers if they are willing to allow this situation to continue for another three years, I am sure that many will say "No!" I am equally sure these same people know that the situation can only be resolved by eliminating the KMT majority in the legislature.
In retrospect, I have to admit that I prefer the KMT's earlier bodybuilder ad to this latest tearjerker. The actors in those ads provided a far more accurate picture of the KMT -- all brawn, but no brain.
It is sometimes the case that individuals develop massive but useless muscles in order to compensate for other shortcomings, and that certainly holds true for the KMT. The party is nothing but a tiny and very empty head perched atop a massive body, and it has yet to discover that its sheer size cannot compensate for lack of intellect. Thus, like the bodybuilders in the ad, it seems all the KMT can do is strut about and strike poses for the audience.
Bonnie Hsieh is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
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