Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou Continues to Invite Voters to Live in his Fantasy World

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Caught in another faux pas, Taiwan's sometime-president, Ma Ying-jeou, (a.k.a. Ma the Incompetent) crawfished backwards from his recent statement that China and Taiwan were two different nations. In an effort to save face, Ma has chosen instead to continue to invite Taiwan and the world to join him in his make-believe, fantasy world. Key to that world is the out-dated and out-moded 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC). In Ma's fantasy world, the ROC is the sovereign nation of China and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is a non-entity. According to Ma, he does not recognize the sovereignty of the PRC nor their rulers' rightful existence. Skip the fact that they do hold the United Nation's seat for China. All that Ma will concede is a "non-denial" of their existence in that nebulous "area" on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

Transparent media games

Taipei Times Editorial

This week, it seemed that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was on the verge of bringing substance and hard numbers to the debate on the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China. The Presidential Office announced that Ma would hold monthly press conferences on the matter — a welcome development for all those who still don’t have a clue as to what any of it means, what they stand to gain and what they risk losing.

Then it was announced that foreign media organizations would be banned from attending, let alone asking questions. In a laughable concession, however, they would be allowed to sit in another room and watch the exchange on television.

There’s more to it than arms sales

Liberty Times Editorial

Last month, the US government announced that it would sell Taiwan arms worth US$6.4 billion. The package is intended to counterbalance China’s growing military might, maintain balance in the Taiwan Strait and send a signal to Washington’s Asian allies that the US keeps its promises.

The decision has drawn a strong reaction from China, which is threatening to impose sanctions on US companies involved in the sale. Official Chinese media reported that the Chinese public “supports” such sanctions. In addition, US President Barack Obama, ignoring China’s warnings, has announced that he will meet exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama later this month, thus bringing more tension to an already tense relationship.

Taiwan's Double Standard and the "Dogs of Bias"

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian has been in jail since December 30, 2008 (over 400 days). The change in judges requested by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to keep him there has extended his imprisonment for the third time. This time it is for two more months. His case reeks of the double standard that has never left Taiwan's prosecutorial function and the courts since the one-party state days of the KMT. While Ma Ying-jeou's former law professor Jerome Cohen and scores of professors have written open-letter after open-letter to point out these inconsistencies and erosion of justice, all the Minister of Justice (MOJ) and the Government Information Office (GIO) do is to laugh and try to create a veneer of legitimacy over Ma Ying-jeou's government.

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