Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

MA’S RE-INAUGURATION: Taiwanese come together to protest

Taipei Times

Part of the Democratic Progressive Party’s march to manifest the public’s dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou sets out from Wanhua train station in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times

People from all walks of life took to the streets in Taipei yesterday to voice their dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) governance.

A group of Hakka people held big black flags with calligraphy in white that read yimin (義民, “righteous people”) as they marched. The flag is modeled on the black flags used by Hakka militias who defended their home villages during an uprising against the Qing Dynasty in 1786 and again when they fought against the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1895.

Defending freedom of speech

Taipei Times Editorial

Freedom of speech is a hard-won right in Taiwan and a fairly recent one at that. Which makes it all the more disappointing, if not downright scary, to have a democratically elected lawmaker start threatening people whose speech he takes exception to, with warnings that he could hurt their livelihoods.

Such threats, even histrionic ones, should not be tolerated.

Mother’s Day appeal to Ma Ying-jeou from Chen Shui-bian’s 85 year old mother

Michael Richardson

Chen Shui-bian's 85 year-old mother calls for his release from prison
Jay Tu

A Mother’s Day dinner in Taiwan renewed an appeal to Ma Ying-jeou by Chen Lee-shen, the 85 year-old mother of imprisoned Chen Shui-bian, for the release of Ma’s predecessor at the presidential palace. In April, the elderly mother of Chen Shui-bian made a public appeal to Ma for Chen’s release.

Ma could finally be lost for words

Jerome Keating

The political approach of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has traditionally been one of style over substance. Nonetheless, when Ma prepared to give his first inaugural speech in 2008, he could not have asked for a better setting for change. He had won with a handsome 58.45 percent of the vote and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) controlled approximately 75 percent of the 113-seat Legislative Yuan. If he had a desire for substance, change and direction, it was a time to show it. He could be bold in his vision, plans and statements, for he had, in the minds of most, a clear mandate.

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