No love for Taiwan
On Sunday, the translated editorial from the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times sister newspaper) said: “Why is the national government so unstable?.. Many people say that the problems with the Ma administration should be blamed on the democratic system”(“Ma’s clones hold up democracy,” Nov. 24, page 8).
With his approval rating falling to 9.2 percent at one point, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), along with his administration, must be doing pretty badly. It is unjust, unfair and ridiculous to blame the democratic system for these issues. Ma’s problems can be listed as follows:
First, his heart is not in Taiwan.
Ma has said that he grew up drinking Taiwanese water and eating Taiwanese rice. The fact is his body may be in Taiwan, but his heart is in China.
Everything he has said and done shows that he does not have Taiwanese in his heart. For example, when he wanted to raise electricity rates, he did not care if the action would stoke inflation or whether people could afford it. He also wants to continue the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, not caring about the safety of people who live near the plant.
Second, his policies are all China-centered.
The Ma administration signed a cross-strait service trade agreement with Beijing without consulting the concerned industries in Taiwan. Now he is demanding that the legislature approve it without any revisions. He does not care what industries and small business might go bankrupt or how many people could lose their jobs. This agreement is just one of the many that are sure to follow.
Third, his lieutenants are all “yes-men” with no brains or guts.
A majority of the ministers and commission heads who Ma appointed or nominated to the Cabinet are yes-men. Most of them are not qualified for or suited to their positions. It is no wonder many of the agencies they lead have come under fire.
Fourth, Ma has a “gang” mentality.
Ma seems to think he owns the nation and behaves like he is the leader of a gang. He punishes those who get in his way and rewards those who back him whether he is right or wrong.
For example, on April 23, Ma awarded a medal to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) for supporting the president’s propositions in the Legislative Yuan. On Nov. 11, he awarded former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) the Order of the Brilliant Star medal for helping him tackle a political rival.
Fifth, Ma is not what he says he is.
Ma’s followers used to say that he is a gentle man, kind-hearted, respectful of others, frugal and humble. In reality he is the opposite. He has a pretty face, but he is actually an impostor.
Ken Huang
Murrieta, California
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