Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

September, as the World Turns in Taiwan: a New and Final Name for Ma Ying-jeou?

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Throughout history, it is common for leaders to pick up names and nicknames that speak to various qualities they possess. Most everyone can remember the stories of Richard the Lion-hearted of England as well as Erik the Red of Viking lore. Lesser known may be Charles the Bold of Burgundy who happened to be the son of Philip the Good (now that is a tough name to have to live up to). The lists go on and on and that inevitably leads to the question of how Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou has gained the name, Ma the Incompetent.

Dalai Lama rose above the hacks

Cao Changqing 曹長青

The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan late last Sunday night on his third visit to Taiwan. This visit differed from past visits because the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had worked together to defame him. Pan-blue legislators said his visit was nothing but a political show, while the Chinese-language, pro-unification United Daily News said he was using the bones of those who died in Typhoon Morakot to build a political stage for himself.

As the World Turns in Taiwan: Yeh Ching-chuan 2009

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Typhoon Morakot and the Dalai Lama's subsequent visit were not the only newsworthy items happening recently in Taiwan. In Hualien, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held its primary and former Department of Health Minister, Yeh Ching-chuan was left as a clear loser. While some jokingly expressed the thought that "it couldn't have happened to a nicer weasel," others pondered what it might be saying politically.

Was it a rejection of Ma, since Yeh was one of his favored sycophant candidates? Were the voters finally developing a sense of picking whom they felt was the best candidate for them and not just accepting what was directed from on high?

Senator Ted Kennedy: a true friend of Taiwan

Mark Chen 陳唐山

The passing of US Senator Ted Kennedy on Aug. 25 brings back many memories of his actions in the late 1970s and early 1980s in support of Taiwan’s democracy.

The senator’s interest in Taiwan was prompted by contact with the Taiwanese-American community in the mid-1970s. His leadership was most prominent after the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) authorities arrested virtually all leaders of the democratic opposition. His office often and openly expressed his concerns to the KMT government about the human rights of the detained political leaders.

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