Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Abstract 

On September 11, 2009, the Court of Judge Tsai Shou-hsun will give its verdict in the case of Taiwan versus Chen Shui-bian as regards charges of corruption, money-laundering, and misuse of state funds. 

When that verdict is given, the media and the public will be presented with simply that, a resulting verdict; they will not see the reasons, methods and machinations, proper or improper, by which the prosecutors and judge worked to achieve that end, nor will they see the defendant’s side of the story. 

Since he came to office in May last year, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policies have become so transparent that a US-based satirical magazine was prompted to compare cross-strait relations to courtship, with Ma “wooing China.”

It would be unfair, however, to look down at the magazine for making a political analogy so absurd as to belittle Taiwan, for in his words and deeds over the past year-and-a-half, Ma has encouraged this very image, especially for those looking in from the outside.