Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The Past few weeks have been like a Neocon’s comeback convention in Taipei with visits from celebrated warmongers, including former US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld and former World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz. It’s very easy to talk trash about these guys, but when you’re as isolated as Taiwan is, you need all the friends you can get — even if they are evil.

A few friends of mine mix in higher circles and one of them had the displeasure of dining with the Wolf while he was visiting — he even survived to tell the tale. Wolfowitz apparently told my buddy over burgers that Washington policy wonks couldn’t understand why President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is so unpopular, what with increased cross-strait stability and stable economic growth during his four years in office.

As the January elections approach, more and more Taiwanese are beginning to listen to what Lee Teng-hui had said some time ago. "It is time to dump Ma to save Taiwan." Dump Ma? Yes that is what was said, but why.

Well first of all, Taiwanese need to examine just what Taiwan has become under the man who more and more are calling the "phony pony." Take for example how Ma keeps pushing China as the only way he can think of trying to salvage his failed forecast of 6-3-3. In Ma's efforts to cozy up to China, National Taiwan University (NTU) has stopped using the word National when it holds joint conferences with Chinese schools and/or cooperates on academic work.