Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Hornets’ nest continues to buzz after Tsai comments

Taipei Times

Academics and politicians continued to express mixed reactions yesterday to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “recognition” of the Republic of China (ROC) last weekend, with some members of the pan-green camp voicing strong disapproval.

While most people, including the DPP’s rival in the January presidential elections the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), welcomed the statement, some DPP members expressed displeasure over Tsai’s statement, with DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) saying that Taiwan is not the ROC and that its status remains undecided.

The Political Mandate That Never Was, Taiwan

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

It is a well known fact in Taiwan if not in the world, that the so-called "1992 Consensus" the same one that Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou likes to tout as reality was a total fabrication by Ma"s good friend Su Chi the former National Security Council secretary-general. Well, it seems matters have not ended there. Not satisfied with one fabrication, it now appears that Su Chi is trying to invent a new term for Ma, the Mandate that Never Was, euphemistically called Ma's "Diminished Political Mandate."

Aborigines hold headhunt in Taipei to rid evil spirits

Taipei Times

Dozens of Aborigines representing various tribes throughout the country yesterday gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office to voice their anger at the Republic of China (ROC) government’s occupation of Aboriginal land as they performed a traditional ritual to drive away evil spirits.

“Let’s kick the ROC government out of here. Let’s kick the ROC government off the land that our ancestors passed down to us. Let’s drive away the evil spirits that come from this government,” an elder Amis shaman sang in a traditional Amis song, while waving a piece of banana leaf.

Beware of the ‘Chinese culture’ pill

Huang Tzu-wei 黃子維

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) recently said he advocates the study of classic Chinese texts. With the presidential election just around the corner, this is a sensitive time and his announcement has caused much debate. However, the first traces of how the Ma administration uses politics to steer education and culture could be seen a long time ago.

The promotion of traditional Chinese culture is only for show and the real goal behind the administration’s move is to follow Beijing’s instructions to use education and culture to subtly influence the way people think in order to change Taiwanese perceptions of a national identity and weaken their feeling of having a unique ethnic identity — thereby paving the way for China’s eventual annexation of Taiwan.

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