Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma needs a lesson in democratic principles

Allen Houng 洪裕宏

Only four months after his re-election and before his re-inauguration on May 20, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) approval rate dropped to less than 20 percent. Everyone is angry with him, regardless of whether they voted for him in the election.

These angry people have one simple demand: They want to be able to make enough money to achieve a basic standard of living.

Doctors say imprisoned Chen Shui-bian seriously ill as ROC alleges new charges

Michael Richardson

Chen Shui-bian visited Washington D.C. when he was Mayor of Taipei
Photo credit: Getty

Chen Shui-bian, the imprisoned former President of the Republic of China in-exile, is seriously ill say two doctors who have examined Chen. Ma Ying-jeou, Chen’s successor, reinstated to a second term in office last week, has refused to grant a medical parole. Meanwhile, Barack Obama remains silent on Chen’s plight in spite of the San Francisco Peace Treaty and the Taiwan Relations Act which govern the United States relationship to the people of Taiwan.

Taiwanese may face a worse crisis than Greece

Lai Chen-chang 賴振昌

The question of whether Greece will withdraw from the euro has become a prickly problem for the world economy. To make matters worse, following a general election on May 6, Greek political parties have been unable to form a new government. A survey revealed that 78 percent of Greeks reject the bailout agreement arrived at between Greece, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB), and the austerity policies it entails.

Greeks have easy and comfortable lives. Their average wage is higher than those of other countries with comparable economies. Greek welfare provisions are generous and civil servants enjoy high pay and benefits.

The stigma that never goes away

Taipei Times Editorial

Taiwan probably has the distinction of being the global leader on the frequency by which it is referred to as being “anti-” something, an underlying bias among journalists and academics that is as unfair to its peaceful constituents as it is to reality.

For years, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which played an instrumental role in the democratization of the country and which is founded on the principle of self-determination, has been plagued by references, usually in foreign media, as an “anti-China” party. No matter what it does, the DPP is portrayed as a political entity that would will China out of existence if it could.

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