We need to cut former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
His upbringing has fashioned him in such a way that an awakening is -- and will always be -- beyond his reach. We humble Taiwanese daily reflect on how gullible we were to believe that dictator Chiang Kai-shek (
However, Ma has been and will always be spared "enlightenment." His deep-pan-blue background, his ethnicity, his colonialist attitude, his Harvard education and, most of all, his "movie star" image, are beyond reproach.
How can we ask him to turn against his father's dying wish and renounce the goal of eventual "reunification"?
How can we expect him to twist his tongue and speak proficient Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) or think like us when there is not a drop of Aboriginal blood in him? (Of course, this needs to be qualified, for I have heard that former KMT chairman Lien Chan (
How can we expect Ma to allow the budget and the arms procurement bill to cruise through the legislature when he browbeats us with his colonialist superiority, which defines him as the conqueror and us as the conquered?
His deep-pan-blue forbears financed his Harvard law education with the money stolen from poor Taiwanese.
Naturally, they enjoyed his loyalty as he acted as a student spy and raised his persecuting voice against Taiwanese political activists at home and abroad. This loyalty is undoubtedly ingrained in his being and has become part of his DNA -- which is why he will continue to frustrate the interests of Taiwanese.
Furthermore, he is a pretty chap and can proudly say that he has amassed a not inconsequential following of termagants who invariably shout for joy as he jogs by them in his shorts. Some of these are his most ardent defenders in the legislature, willing to go to the most ridiculous extremes to hen-peck government officials during hearings with the most unfathomable nonsense. With friends like these, how can one help but be puffed up?
In view of all this, when we question his "core values," when we are amazed by his fawning comments on the economic achievements of the Singaporean regime (which overlook its authoritarianism), when we are puzzled by his facial expression after his disastrous meeting with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Quite to the contrary, he will continue to smirk at us and to despise us -- he simply can't help it.
Yang Chunhui
Salt Lake City, Utah
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
RSS