Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Total distraction, irresponsibility

Taipei Times Editorial

“Total governance, total responsibility (完全執政, 完全負責)” were the words pledged by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration when it assumed power in 2008. Gathering from the pattern the Presidential Office follows in dealing with news events, it appears, however, the ultimate position it holds is this: While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is the governing party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is the one who should shoulder all blame when the government’s policy runs into a roadblock or something goes awry.

As a first case in point, prior to the Ma-Tsai debate in April on the then-proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) posted questions for Tsai and demanded that she be responsible for suggesting items for inclusion on the cross-strait trade pact’s “early harvest” list.

Vying for votes in a changed milieu

Taipei Times Editorial

The five special municipality elections on Nov. 27 are developing into a strange set of elections. The ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is behaving like an opposition party as it goes on the attack, while the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) runs a defensive, stable campaign as if it were in power.

In addition to controlling the national government, the KMT is also in charge of Taipei City, Taipei County and Taichung City. The DPP, on the other hand, is using its best potential candidates for the 2012 presidential election in these elections, as former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are running in Taipei City and Sinbei City. Some think Su and Tsai would prefer not to win, as they would not want to miss out on the presidential election. At the same time, they cannot afford to lose this month, as that would make it difficult for them to convince the party that they have a real chance of winning a presidential election.

Japan may place troops close to disputed islands

Taipei Times

Tokyo is considering placing troops on a remote Japanese island in the East China Sea to monitor China’s expanded naval activities that have worried its neighbors, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday.

The defense ministry wishes to create a “coastal security surveillance team” with the main mission to radar-monitor Chinese naval activities, the newspaper said, citing ministry sources.

Chen’s ghost returns to haunt Ma

Taipei Times Editorial

Ever since he was taken into custody in December 2008, the Presidential Office has made sure that former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) — the nation’s top “troublemaker,” if we believe the propaganda — did not make waves. It did so via a complicit judiciary that time and again denied the former president his freedom by using tenuous claims to justify extensions to his detention, which now approaches 700 days.

Although Chen managed to publish a few books and articles from prison, the government’s efforts to erase him from the political scene were largely successful, an accomplishment that, admittedly, was compounded by a decision by the Democratic Progressive Party — the party Chen once led — to distance itself from him as it sought to reconsolidate after difficult years. By neutralizing the otherwise ostentatious former president, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration paved the way for its controversial rapprochement with Beijing, which, had he been a free man, Chen would surely have relentlessly attacked publicly.

More Articles...