Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma, Obama face similar challenges

Liu Shih-chung 劉世忠

Following Halloween, US voters played trick-or-treat with US President Barrack Obama, whose Democratic Party was beaten soundly, losing its majority in the US House of Representatives, seats in the US Senate and several governorships in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Obama, the first black president elected to the White House, came into office on the back of a promise to bring change, but US voters have changed the game for Obama, proving that a political promise can make or break a politician. In Taiwan, where the special municipality elections will take place on Nov 27, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is projecting Obama’s problems onto President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) maintains that Taiwan is not the US and that the comparison is therefore invalid.

Chen found not guilty in bribery trial

Taipei Times

Citing insufficient proof, the Taiwan District Court yesterday acquitted former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), of charges that they laundered money and took bribes from bankers in exchange for help manipulating bank mergers.

Nineteen co-defendants were also cleared of charges of money laundering, breach of trust and insider trading because of a lack of proof, Judge Chou Chan-chun (周占春) said yesterday afternoon.

Republican win good for Taiwan: FAPA

Taipei Times

Major Republican victories in the US midterm elections could leave Taiwan in a strong political position on Capitol Hill, a Taiwan lobby organization said.

With Republicans capturing 60 seats to take control of the House of Representatives and the Democrats managing to hang on to the Senate by a narrow majority, power is now divided in Washington. As a result, Taiwan’s supporters in Congress are expected to have increased freedom to speak out on controversial issues, such as arms sales, free trade and a place for Taiwan within international organizations.

Ma trotting out same old cross-strait lies

James Wang 王景弘

At the opening ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival on Oct. 23, the head of the Chinese delegation, Jiang Ping (江平), adopted the swagger of a “communist bandit,” demanding that the Taiwanese delegation should have its title changed to “Chinese Taipei” or “Taiwan, China” and be merged with the Chinese delegation.

This was certainly not, as members of the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) have claimed, an isolated incident. Rather, it is the grave consequence of accepting the so-called “one China” principle. All China is doing is cashing the check that Ma’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) wrote.

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