When a comedian tried to throw a plate of shaving foam at Rupert Murdoch during his testimony in the British parliament, Murdoch’s wife, Wendi Deng (鄧文迪), leapt at the perpetrator with the vigor of an American football player and hit him with the precision of a volleyball player going for the decisive smash, as the world held its breath.
Very Chinese, Deng’s reaction was different from how other people reacted: Murdoch and his son James did not try to evade the attack or hit back, while an assistant held out an arm to try to stop the attacker. Deng, however, did not try to stop the attack, but hit back, as if wanting to avenge her husband and prove that attack is the best defense.
In the case of an attack, Westerners tend to think of how to protect themselves and let the law deal with the attacker. Chinese, on the other hand, are used to standing up and fighting for themselves and excel in a brawl. Deng may have lived in the US for a long time, but she still has not left her Chinese roots behind.
Look at Taiwan, where national identity is in a mess. Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) has run for the vice presidency twice — in 2000 and in 2008. Being “Taiwanese,” he is obedient, does what he is told and does not bite back. When he was attacked by egg-throwing farmers during his time as director of the Board of Foreign Trade in the late 1980s, he just took it and smiled.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) teamed up with Siew to lure voters and win the presidency. However, after the election, Ma revealed what he is: incompetent and arrogant. Incapable of winning the trust of voters that he needs to be re-elected, Ma has turned to getting rid of those who disagree with him and has achieved his goals by attacking and eliminating opposition forces.
Ma is seen as a member of the “foreign ruling class.” If he is arrogant and discourteous to Taiwan’s intellectual leaders, he could easily create the impression that he is bullying Taiwanese. His solution was to look for a Taiwanese “hit man,” so that he could use a “Taiwanese to control the Taiwanese,” while he pulls the strings from behind the scenes to see that his wishes are carried out.
That is why the obedient Siew is no longer a suitable choice for vice president. What Ma needs is a Wendi Deng. Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) is Taiwanese and he is much more aggressive than Siew ever was. Not only does Wu do as he is told, he has bite; he is the Wendi Deng that Ma needs.
When Ma threatened former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) through the judiciary, Wu followed suit by snapping at Lee. However, in doing so, Wu made a mistake when making an historical reference to a Taiwanese folk story about lying, although he said, “I am a student of history,” and that he would never say anything unreliable.
What does studying history have to do with lying? Even preschoolers know that you are not supposed to tell lies. Ma is abandoning Siew for Wu, who will also do as he is told, is not afraid of saying anything and also has some bite when it comes to people other than his master.
James Wang is a media commentator.
TRANSLATED BY PERRY SVENSSON
Source: Taipei Times - Editorials 2011/07/31
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