China Says Let Bygones be Bygones, Of Course They Always Do
Thursday May 08
Am I hearing things or am I am hearing things? Hu Jintao now visiting Japan has told the Japanese that they should not dwell on history. It is important, he went on, to remember history, but people should not hold grudges. Is this the same China that continually tells Japan they must apologize and apologize over and over again for World War II because it is never enough? Is this the same China that continually sends its brain-washed citizens into the streets to protest against Japanese businesses and tourists? Is this the same China that goes ballistic whenever any Japanese person of note visits the Yasukuni Shrine? No I must be imagining things, China does not dwell on the past from the Opium Wars on to the present and this month the French and Carrefour are the target. Now Tibetans, however, that is another story ...
Going to the Olympics? Leave the Kids at Home
Tuesday May 06
The Olympics are just a few months away, and for those planning on going to the Olympics in China this year, a new wrinkle has appeared to threaten those plans. Enterovirus 71 or EV-71 is spreading across the country. Already present in two provinces, this virus is particularly deadly to children and has already claimed 26 fatalities; overall there are 6,300 total reported cases in the population. One only has to think back a few years to the spread of SARS and remember the irresponsible way it was handled by the Chinese authorities to give one cause for concern. ...
A Borrowed Voice, Taiwan Human Rights through International Networks 1960--1980
Sunday May 04
A new book, "A Borrowed Voice, Taiwan Human Rights through International Networks, 1960--1980" written and edited by Linda Gail Arrigo and Lynn A. Miles, will be coming out shortly. This book covers the tumultuous years of Taiwan's movement toward democracy and the many people that underwent persecution and paid a heavy price for Taiwan's present democracy. The
Borrowed Voiceis that of international organizations like Amnesty International which the Taiwanese had to borrow since their own voice was stifled by persecution, imprisonment, torture etc. of the repressive one-party state they lived under. What makes this book all the more poignant is the fact that many of the players (from James Soong to the participants of the Kaohsiung Incident to Lee Ao) in that period are still around. You will get many personal perspectives that will enlighten you ...
China Welcomes Loser Lien Chan, Their Kind of Man
Saturday May 03
Lien Chan is in China for his fourth visit and one cannot help but wonder why Hu Jintao delights in discussing cross-strait relations with a known loser in Taiwan. Lien has never really won an important election in Taiwan. Perhaps that is his appeal to someone like Hu, who is naturally not keen on democracy and elections anyway. Other questions naturally follow. Does the loser Lien want to prove that he is a player though he never had a good reputation as such in the past? Perhaps he is looking for a place where his millions acquired as Chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will go a lot farther when he thinks of retirement? ...
Taiwan Vignette III, Vincent Siew and the High Cost of Humiliation
Sunday April 27
A short while ago, vice-president-elect Vincent Siew of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) returned from the Boao Forum in Hainan. Siew's trip was hailed by Taiwan's Pan-blue press as a breakthrough; the kind of thing we need to stimulate Taiwan's allegedly faltering economy, after all, we only had 5.7 % growth last year. While there at the forum, Siew had a chance to have a twenty minutes meeting with China's president Hu Jintao. At that meeting Siew brought up four requests including the resumption of a cross-strait dialogue, normalization of bilateral trade and economic ties, weekend cross-strait charter flights and opening Taiwan to Chinese tourists. Hu endorsed two of these proposals, the opening of Taiwan to more Chinese tourists and weekend charter flights. As for other matters, he said he would give them deep thought, probably similar to the deep thought he is giving to Tibetan matters. ...
Taiwan Vignettes II, the Rising High Cost of Housing in Taipei and Taiwan
Saturday April 26
Ma Ying-joke is not yet president but people are already starting to see problems behind the façade of his simplistic cure-all systems and promises. If you remember Ma was the one who was going to open up China for investment as well as invite the Chinese to invest in Taiwan, and everyone would become rich. Well last week our first group of well-heeled investors from China came over and interestingly enough a prime target they looked at for investment was not business opportunities but Taiwan�s housing market, in particular, that of Taipei. With deep pockets, they began to sense that it would be fashionable as well as advantageous to start buying up real estate in Taipei. China is developing tycoons and while they will want alternate housing in the Americas and Europe, there is something appealing about having a place just off-shore where things are a little more free and easy and you can drop over for the weekend. ...
Taiwan, China, and the Olympics; This Is Not About Politics. Thank God!
Monday April 21
The selection of China for the Olympics was not political; it was just done to legitimize the claim that China despite Tiananmen Square and despite its dismal human rights record is on a peaceful rise. After all Tiananmen Square was ages past, and China has changed, so China deserves the Olympics because China has been begging to prove it is a legitimate world player. Certainly China wants to show it can crack heads and get away with it. That's not politics it is --- Well let's move on. As the Olympic torch has passed through various countries, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was told that it should abdicate its responsibility for sponsoring the torch run because China felt the IOC was not doing the proper job of protection. After all, who is in charge of the Olympics? We are not talking politics; it may be abdication, but well it is --- Well let's move on. Yes China has dictated that its goons and thugs should take charge of the torch relay, for China is on a peaceful rise, and only China can best express this to the world and the rest of you idiots better shape up. Tibetans you should be thankful that China is bringing in all those Chinese shopkeepers to run the businesses in your captive country; let the Han Chinese citizens trash Tibetan culture. That's not politics, that's business right? ...
Taiwan Vignette I: The High Cost of Pandas for the Alleged Depressed Economy
Thursday April 17
I have always professed that Ma Ying-jeou was a window dressing mayor and politician and that he promises more of the same as president. But now it seems that Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin is also trying to get in on the act with the panda connection. All this flies in the face of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential campaign issue of the alleged poor state of Taiwan's economy under President Chen Shui-bian. Taiwan voters were sold the bill of goods that the country was suffering from its mere yearly growth of 5.7 per cent. The solution was to elect Ma Ying-jeou to boost the economy. He promised a whopping 6 per cent. ...
Taiwan Gets Support from Down Under
Thursday April 17
On Saturday April 12, two Australians addressed the Taipei Breakfast Club on salient Taiwan issues. First was 26 year old, Dr. Lily Wang, CEO of the Australian Taiwanese WHO for Taiwan Action Association. Lily, who had returned to Taiwan from Australia to vote in the presidential elections spoke of the problems that the 23 million people in democratic Taiwan and that the rest of the world face because Taiwan is denied any representation (observer or otherwise) in WHO and other world organizations. Why? The answer is simple China would rather let the world play Russian roulette with disease and epidemics so that China can maintain its unfounded claim to the island nation. Taiwan is in her words, the hole in the net of global disease defense through which any and all things can get through. Unfortunately the rest of the world allows itself to be held hostage to the blackmail efforts of China which does not protect its own citizens from its cover-ups let alone worry about the citizens of Taiwan. ...
Troubles in Tibet? It's All the Dalai Lama's Fault, Just Read the "China Daily"
Monday April 07
Have you been seeing the fictitious problems of the symbolic Olympic torch that supposedly needs a huge protective guard as it starts its journey around the world? Have you been reading about the riots and suffering in Tibet? Pure fabrication says the "China Daily." The world is much too sympathetic to the incorrectly reported plight of Tibetans. Such were the findings of my trip across the Taiwan Strait this past holiday weekend into China, the land which specializes in freedom of the press or is that freedom to oppress? There in the Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison and Propaganda, the media presented the real scoop, it is all the fault of the Dalai Lama. ...
Bolton Nailed It; Taiwan Needs to be Independent
Tuesday April 01
Taiwan deserves full diplomatic recognition by the USA and other nations. These nations should recognize the state that has existed for some time in Taiwan, and the state that the Taiwanese wish to preserve. That was the gist of John R. Bolton's piece in the March 29 edition of the "Los Angeles Times" which highlighted the refreshing approach that Taiwan needs to be independent, to have a healthy economy and to maintain ties with China. ...
Ma Ying-jeou Wins Taiwan Presidency: Let the Flip-flops Begin
Wednesday March 26
On Saturday, March 22nd, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won Taiwan's presidency with a clear majority of over two million votes. Immediately afterwards local and international pundits began casting about for reasons to explain and/or justify his convincing win and why people voted as they did. These efforts at best remain highly speculative. As a young democracy, one that only recently possessed a free press after its martial law and white terror days, Taiwan lacks bias-free mechanisms of political analysis and even reliable exit polls. It will be sometime before a correct analysis of the public's mind can be done, so where do I stand? In my past writings, I have classified Ma as a weak, window dressing politician, lacking substance and dependent more on media hype and showmanship than fact. That opinion has not changed. ...
Taiwan's UN Referenda Fail to Reach Their Abnormally High Bar
Sunday March 23
In any other country if a referendum were held and 94 per cent of those voting on it approved, it would be considered successful. That is not the case however in Taiwan for Taiwan has unusually high requirements for success. First of all, 50 per cent of the eligible voters must pick up and cast a ballot, and then 50 per cent of those who cast a ballot must approve the referendum. Herein lies the problem. The first big hurdle requires 50 per cent of the total eligible voters and not 50 per cent of those who vote on any given day, so if there is a low voter turnout or even a medium sized voter turnout, a referendum is already in danger of not passing.
Election Day in Taiwan, It's Showtime!
Friday March 21
It has been an interesting election campaign in Taiwan and today Saturday March 22nd is a nice quiet and peaceful day; no noisy trucks in the street; the weather is cloudy up north at least but pleasant. There is no reason why people should not go out and vote. ...
How Does the US State Department Earn its Keep?
Friday March 21
Tibet still burns, Iraq is a quagmire where the USA is spending billions, the US economy is tanking and the only thing Thomas Christensen of the US State Department can think of to make a comment on is the democratic right of Taiwan to have a referendum. Shame on Taiwan it is not following the script that US State Department wants it to follow. How strange it is that while the US State Department continues to try and force feed democracies on the world; it continues to reveal that it does not want democracies that are real democracies; it wants only people that will follow its script. ...
How the Horse Got His Frozen Smile, a Strange African Folk Tale
Thursday March 20
There once was a horse that was raised by jackals. Now jackals are a devious group of animals; they are known for preying on the weak, pretending to be something that they are not and even claiming the territory of others. They may even pretend to be dragons. This particular group of jackals however had recently been driven from the land they lived in by a rival gang of jackals, who proved to be greater pretenders than they were. And so running with their tails between their legs these jackals came to the land of the black bear. They took up residence and pretended it belonged to them. They told the black bear that they were dragons and should therefore be treated as such i.e. like emperors; they would rule the black bear’s land while they waited to reclaim their own land. ...
Tibet Burns and the World Still Kowtows to China the Cause of it All
Tuesday March 18
Tibet burns; Tibetans suffer and die. Why? Tibetans want the right to self-determination. It is only natural; it is human nature. They want freedom and self determination. All men are created equal with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it seems to me I have heard words like that somewhere else. And yet the panda huggers in the USA and around the world so desire cheap poisoned toothpaste, cheap poisoned dog food, cheap poisoned toys for their children etc. that they choose to ignore the Tibetans plight. ...
Look Out Beijing, Here Comes Taiwan!
Friday March 14
Taiwan is concerned about its upcoming presidential election but it is not the only thing that is hot on the island. Yesterday Taiwan's baseball team qualified for the Olympics and today the 2008 Tour de Taiwan is entering its sixth stage. What all this says is that while China may try as it may to keep Taiwan down, Taiwan is showing the world it is here and it is not a part of the poor old People's Republic of China (PRC)...
Taiwan's KMT Has Too Much Power, and Yet It Still Wants More
Thursday March 13
Buoyed up by their veto-overriding majority in the Legislative Yuan, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is resorting to Gestapo and gangster-like tactics to carry out their whims. With no proof to back up their claims, KMT legislators Chen Chieh, Lo Ming-tsai, and Luo Shu-lei along with caucus whip Alex Fai forcefully entered the Democratic Progressive Party campaign offices on a fishing expedition. They had heard allegations that the First Commercial Bank had waived the lease on the office for the DPP. To the KMT, the mere suspicion of such gave them a supposed right to storm into the offices and demand records. ...
Even Taiwan's Pan-Blue Press Admit Ma Ying-jeou is Naive
Tuesday March 11
Well I have to admit I dropped my glasses (to use a local expression) on this one. The Tuesday March 11 editorial in the China Post spoke of the presidential debates between Ma Ying-jeou and Frank Hsieh as "Naiveté versus savviness" and it did not end there. The opening paragraph read, "Come March 22, a naïf will have a face-off with a politically savvy defense lawyer in the race for the nation's highest public office. They had their last TV debate on Sunday, the latter apparently was the winner."
Taiwan Sex Workers Experience the Ma Ying-jeou Shuffle
Sunday March 09
Sex is in the air, not only in China but also in Taiwan. As Taiwan's presidential elections approach, the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (COSWAS) called upon the candidates to make prostitution legal in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh pledged that he would work to decriminalize prostitution if elected. Ma Ying-jeou, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate on the other hand did his usual Taiwan shuffle off to avoiding responsibility. ...
Tough Love in China: Tang Wei Blacklisted for "Beautifying Collaboration"
Saturday March 08
The control freaks in China are at it again; not content with controlling religion, the media etc., they now want to control art. The latest to fall under their ban is actress Tang Wei because the character she plays in the movie "Lust Caution" falls in love with a Japanese collaborator. The way it is phrased is that the role she plays "beautifies" collaboration. Dear me, now actors and actresses must not only express personal party line sentiments but they must clear what artistic characters they will play in films and theatre with the freaks in Beijing. ...
Examining Taiwan's Pan-Blue Media Rag Spin
Friday March 07
"The China Post," an English paper in Taiwan is often referred to by ex-pats as the local Pan-Blue Rag, and that is on good days. Is the title deserved? Well let's take a look. An article on March 5th dealt with Lee Teng-hui's recent interview in Japan. When asked about Taiwan's upcoming presidential elections Lee stated that if Frank Hsieh did not win, Taiwan's democracy would be set back twenty years. Hsieh's main opponent of course is the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou; so what might one guess would be the headline for an article featuring Lee's belief that a defeat of Hsieh by Ma would set back democracy twenty years. ...
Taiwan Alert, More Pollution from China Coming
Saturday March 01
On Saturday, March 1st the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau issued two alerts. First the nation could expect a cold front for the coming week. Second, the Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison, and Propaganda was sending more of their pollution Taiwan's way. Japan had gotten some of their poison the previous week so Taiwanese felt it was their turn and sure enough, a dust cloud from China is expected to cover the country until Monday. Such is life when you have vulgar neighbors who care little for the environment. ...
Ma Ying-jeou's Shallow, Simplistic Economics: Promise the Moon
Friday February 29
Promise the Taiwanese anything and you will keep them from examining and facing the reality of their present and past, this is the continued strategy of candidate Ma Ying-jeou. Promises, promises, promises, if anyone would total up the cost of all the promises that Ma has made it would bankrupt the richest nation. Yet Ma keeps promising and the simple-minded keep believing. With no sense of economics and no sense of Taiwan history beyond the past ten years, many continue to be fooled by Ma Ying-jeou. They cannot even go back three years to two key promises that Ma made and never kept. ...
The USA and Britain Continue to Feed the China Propaganda Mill
Wednesday February 27
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband joined forces in their protracted overkill in trying to destroy democratic Taiwan's right to state its desire to have its 23 million people represented in the United Nations. Their duplicity is all the more evident when starkly contrasted with the bald fact that both the USA and Britain had barely just approved the declaration of independence of a few million people in Kosovo. Somehow the clear bold declaration of independence by Kosovo did not qualify for being provocative in the allegedly harmonious Balkans, but the simple voicing of their wishes of the people of Taiwan would be sending shock waves across the Taiwan Strait. Who is fooling who? And who is bending over backwards to be China's policeman in restricting Taiwan. ...
Democratic Taiwan Supports Tibet: Take Note World
Monday February 25
Let the control freaks in Beijing take note; Taiwan does not need an LKK (lau ko-ko, out of touch old grandfather) trying to tell it what it has the right to do and not do. Taiwan is an open democratic society. As a result, not long ago, Taiwan refused the Olympic Torch of Beijing because Beijing wanted to use its passage through Taiwan as a way to belittle Taiwan's democracy. Yesterday, however, Taiwan welcomed the Tibetan Olympic Torch to pass through its country in anticipation of the upcoming Tibetan Olympics (held in exile in India, May 15 through 25). This was clearly celebrated in front of Democracy Hall in Taipei along with Miss Tibet, Tsering Chungtak who preferred to be expelled from Malaysia's 2007 Miss Tourism competition rather than conform to China's demand that she wear a sash reading "Miss Tibet-China." ...
China, the Frustrated Potentate, Continues to Try to Isolate Taiwan
Saturday February 23
There is something laughable and almost senile at the attempts of China, the frustrated potentate, laboring on and on to try to isolate Taiwan in the world. The latest example is of course Kosovo where China has told Taiwan that it does not have the right to recognize Kosovo. As if who cares what China says Taiwan has the right to do and not do. Then there are the countries that have their self created hypocritical hoops that they try to jump through. They try to defend their recognition of the right of a few million in Kosovo to declare independence but at the same time deny the twenty three million people in the democracy of Taiwan that same right. Fortunately more and more people in the world are seeing through this charade. ...
Why Ma Ying-jeou Should Not Be President
Monday February 11
Ma Ying-jeou is the quintessential politician, one who smiles and smiles and promises and promises but rarely delivers. Born into the privilege of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) one-party state, he was educated, and supported by that state throughout its White Terror dominance. He didn't question its rule and served its ends both as a student in the USA and back in Taiwan where he was awarded with appropriate positions. To gain insight, compare and contrast his response to the KMT's enticements and rewards for service to that of Peng Ming-min and you will see the difference in their characters. ...
Ma Ying-jeou, a Weasel Under Pressure?
Friday February 08
Ma Ying-jeou continues to be the perfect example of how a person with an unearned sense of privilege and entitlement is unable to handle adversity and pressure. Case in point is the recent revelation that Ma Ying-jeou had a green card. Whether Ma had a green card or not is really not the main issue. What is of more importance is how a man whose whole political stance is built on image and style as opposed to substance and honesty becomes a weasel when that image is threatened...
Taiwan, East Germany, and "The Lives of Others"
Thursday February 07
Von Donnersmarck's film, The Lives of Others, (Das Leben der Anderen) is a film well worth seeing. It is well worth seeing not simply because it won the Oscar Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2006 and numerous other awards, but because it provides a strong, sobering insight into what life is like under a totalitarian regime. Here the regime is East Germany, but the lack of human rights, of freedom of the press, and the constant surveillance by an elaborate system of spies and informants etc. could apply to any one-party state dictatorship, past or present including Taiwan when it was under the dictatorship of the Chiangs and their watchdog, the Garrison Command. ...
China's Snow Storms Expose its Controlling Cabal's Exploitation of the Masses
Monday February 04
China--never have so many been ruled and controlled by so few! Yes this is the same China which Taiwan knows as its greedy and rapacious neighbor and that despite its inability to take care of its own 1.3 billion people it still always wants to control more. Now as winter storms of ice and snow hit China at its most crucial travel time of the year (Chinese New Year holidays) the chickens have come home to roost and the world sees the other side of China or at least as much as the state-controlled media allows it to. ...
The Fat Lady Sings for Boston in Arizona
Sunday February 03
Super Bowl XLII proved to have the classic finish. The underdog is down by four points. A field goal will not save them; they need a touchdown. Still, they have the ball and just enough time for one last drive, yet the drive must cover close to the length of the field. The game has been a defensive struggle up to that point. Can the underdog do it? The rest is history, New York Giants 17, Boston Patriots 14. ...
Taiwan Searching for Identity in the Bamboozle of 2008
Saturday February 02
Thoreau stated it succinctly in Walden, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation," and I would add a corollary to his words, "Most men lead lives of willingly being bamboozled." This flaw is what drives companies to hire marketing executives to persuade consumers to buy what they don't need; this flaw is what allows the media to try and get away with providing pap instead of substance; this flaw is what allows politicians to posture and to promise and not worry about being held accountable. Everyone has their favorite examples of such posturing and promises. ...
Taiwan's Identity: the Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
Wednesday January 30
As Taiwan searches for its identity, it must remember, The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the principle of emergence and the principle by which the identity of Taiwan should be understood. It is the proper way to perceive Taiwan's past and what makes Taiwanese to be Taiwanese. From ancient times of over 5000 years ago, when thriving aboriginal civilizations quarried jade and did a burgeoning sea-faring trade with Southeast Asia, Taiwan has had its uniqueness. It later had the influx, influence, and contributions from the Dutch, the Spanish, the Hoklo and Hakka seeking freedom, pirates, Ming loyalists, Qing conquerors; you name it and Taiwan received it. Each contributed a part, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ...
Katyn, a Polish Film, Resonates in Taiwan
Monday January 28
How a nation deals with its past is vital to its present health and existence. A recent Polish film "Katyn" addresses an "unhealed wound" in Poland's past, and a recent review of that film (as presented below) in the January 24, 2008 Economist illustrates the issues and its need for closure. Taiwan has its own "unhealed wounds" and a need for transitional justice which still cry for closure. Unfortunately the recent disproportionate victory and control of the Legislative Yuan by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) point to the fact that this need for transitional justice will remain unanswered and continue to fester beneath the surface in Taiwan.
Taiwans 2008 Legislative Elections, Ma Ying-jeou, a Weak Man Becomes Weaker
Saturday January 26
Despite what the average observermay think, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is not a monolith. Numerous contrasting points of view exist within it, and power struggles continue beneath the surface. However, like the Republican Party compared to the Democratic Party in the USA, the KMT manages to hide its conflicts, power struggles, and dirty laundry much better than its Taiwan counterpart the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That being said, the conflicts are alive and well, and remain even after the KMT won big in the recent Legislative Yuan elections. ...
Taiwan's 2008 Legislative Yuan Elections: Lesson 2, Examining the McGovern Factor
Tuesday January 15
After the overwhelming and disproportionate defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the January 12 Legislative Yuan elections, many DPP party members and supporters were obviously disheartened. Certainly if one looked at a district by district color-coded map of post election Taiwan, it was a sea of blue with a few islands of green. Despite this, party members need to remember that Taiwan is a democracy and not a totalitarian state; therefore, a defeat even if devastating, is never the end of the road. The DPP must in other words develop a longer term perspective and examine what can be called the McGovern Factor. ...
Taiwan's 2008 Legislative Yuan Elections: Lesson One, in Search of an Adequate System
Monday January 14
As the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regroups after its huge defeat in Taiwan's January 12 Legislative Yuan elections there are several things that its members should realize for perspective. First the defeat became larger in reality than it should have been because of the inadequacies of the electoral system. This does not excuse other faults and poor strategies of the DPP but it does give a more appropriate perspective. No election system is perfect and this is the first time that the new system for the Legislative Yuan was used, but it quickly proved in need of restructuring if Taiwan's citizens are to have proper representation. ...
Taiwan's 2008 Legislative Yuan Elections Update
Saturday January 12
It appears that there has been only a 58 per cent voter turn out. This has already doomed the referendums. If such a low turn out continues in future elections, any referendum will certainly face extreme difficulties passing with the present rules. ...
Taiwan 2008 Legislative Elections: On the Spot
Friday January 11
The voting stations are open today and already it is evident that the Pan-blue party is out to kill the referendums by boycotting them. ...
Taiwan's 2008 Legislative Yuan Elections
Friday January 11
Big changes are coming this Saturday January 12, 2008, Taiwan will vote to select members of the upcoming Legislative Yuan in an election that will have several new wrinkles and be a first in many items for Taiwan. First of all, the number of legislators has been halved from 225 to 113 so a number of the old faces will not be there simply because of this reduction. Second the legislators will be elected one member per district. This means that candidates from the various parties will be going head to head with each other and not just hoping to luck out in being one of the top ten or such in multiple members for single districts as in the past. Each has to win now solely on his or her own personal record and/or relationship with voters in their district. Because of these two changes we will no longer see characters like Li Ao who lucked out last time in being the 10th of 10 legislators selected from his district. He has chosen not to run and not be embarrassed by a small number of votes. But there is more. ...
Taiwan Desperately Needs a Green Legislative Yuan: Problem Two, Sabotage of the Country
Saturday January 05
When I say that the pan-blue Legislative Yuan led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) sabotages the country I do not mean that they have guerilla bands blowing up bridges. I speak metaphorically. The KMT's sabotage is of a much more subtle nature; it is a sabotage that is willing to drag the country down as it strives to regain its lost privilege. Despite the pan-blue media hype, Taiwan's problems of today stem from the Legislative Yuan and not from the President. Since the mid-nineties, the controlling power of the country has shifted from the Presidency to the Legislative Yuan, and the Legislative Yuan has always been under the control of the KMT and its pan-blue alliance...
Ma Ying-joke, Would You Want This Man as Your Leader?
Thursday January 03
Does Ma Ying-joke know what time it is? Does he even know where his party is? Shortly after Ma promised Taiwan citizens that he would definitely vote on the two anti-corruption referendum ballots in the up-coming election, his party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), announced that it would boycott the referendums. Who is in charge here? It certainly isn't Ma Ying-joke. ...
Why Taiwan Needs a Green Legislative Yuan: Problem One Justice
Wednesday January 02
When Taiwan was a one-party state dictatorship under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the power of the country was in its president. The Legislative Yuan was a rubber stamp body in which each legislator who had been elected ages previous in 1947 was guaranteed his position for life. All each legislator had to do was approve what President Chiang Kai-shek and then later what his son President Chiang Ching-kuo directed. This all began to change under President Lee Teng-hui when the "iron rice bowl" legislators who had not yet died off, had to step down. After 1992 legislators had to run for office and compete with members of other newly allowed parties. ...
Is AIT as Dumb as the KMT Thinks That They Are?
Wednesday January 02
In early December, Raymond Burghardt, Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), visited Taiwan to speak and listen to the presidential candidates from both major parties as well as to receive assurances from President Chen Shui-bian that Chen would do nothing drastic before the end of his presidential term. To speak to the two major presidential candidates would be natural for the AIT head in order to get a feeling for the priorities of each. To be concerned about President Chen doing something drastic is a bit over the top and another indication that the US has never had good communication channels with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). While the fault of this lies on both sides, it also continues to show how many in the USA's bureaucratic ranks not only don't have an ear to the ground in Taiwan but that they also still rely on their past wining and dining buddies of the past Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) era for information. Examine the laughable but oh-so-typical of media hype that followed Burghardt's visit. ...
Myth #3, Chiang Kai-shek Created the Taiwan Miracle for the Sake of Taiwan
Wednesday January 02
The Taiwan Miracle is regularly brought up by KMT to show its care for Taiwan. Myth #3, Chiang Kai-shek so loved Taiwan that he created the Taiwan Miracle for it. Answer: The Taiwan Miracle is a fact of history but it was not created for the sake of Taiwan. It was created because Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT realized that they would never retake China and that they might as well try to make a "heaven of their hell" in exile in Taiwan. To gain a needed and full perspective on what this means, one must compare it to the German Miracle and the Japanese Miracle after World War II. ...
Debunking the Myths of Chiang Kai-shek: Myth # 2, Chiang Kai-shek Rebuilt Taiwan
Tuesday January 01
A second myth that the profiteers and exploiters of Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship use to justify their position and profit is to promote the idea that the people of Taiwan should be grateful to Chiang Kai-shek because he rebuilt it after World War II. This is Myth # 2: Chiang Kai-shek rebuilt Taiwan. Answer: Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) did not rebuild Taiwan; in reality, he is the one who brought it to its lowest degradation. ...
Debunking the Myths of Chiang Kai-shek: Myth # 1, Chiang Kai-shek Saved Taiwan
Tuesday January 01
There are many myths that surround Chiang Kai-shek. Most are perpetuated by those who still profit from his one party state dictatorship on Taiwan; these people use the myths to justify their gains and cover what really happened. A series of posts will follow debunking those myths. ...
The Presbyterian Church of Taiwan Goes on Record for Taiwan and the UN
Friday December 28
In my previous post I had mentioned that the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) had a conference in early December. The PCT has always stood by the Taiwanese people in their quest for dignity, respect, and justice. At their conference they issued a public declaration in support of Taiwan's right to join the United Nations. I put the full text below:
To the member states of the United Nations, to the peoples and nations of the world who love justice and peace, and to all churches around the world...
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, One Solution: Out Out Damned Spot and Let the KMT Pay for It
Wednesday December 19
Much went on in Taiwan in the early days of December 2007. There was the 28th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident, which had taken place on December 10th Human Rights Day 1979. In conjunction with this was the opening of the Taiwan Human Rights Jingmei Park/Museum in Taipei; the site of this museum is a former prison, which had housed the Kaohsiung Eight. It had also been the main political prison from that era; from there prisoners were often sent to Green Island. ...
He Came, He Saw, He Jumped, Felix Baumgartner
Thursday December 13
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it? No it's Felix Baumgartner, Austrian extreme sport enthusiast and he treated surprised Taipei residents to a free fall leap and parachute jump from Taipei 101. If you haven't seem photos in the papers, or the video clip on TV, you will probably see it in a future commercial or some other commercial venture. ...
Secret Deals, Secret Deals, Those Damned Secret Deals!
Thursday December 13
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
The more they protest, the more time and verbiage they expend, the more they insist that they respect Taiwan's democracy; the more it becomes obvious. The US State Department, its officials and henchmen seem to have once again made another secret deal, a secret deal with China to limit and control the democracy and freedom of Taiwan. ...
Lee Teng-hui Misquoted on Chen Shui-bian
Tuesday December 11
In the Taipei Times of December 11th there was a correction to an article which I had found strange in the previous day's paper. The Times gave a correction and I put it here in their exact words. "In yesterday's issue, an item in the
Quick Takesection said former president Lee Teng-hui urged voters not to suport the Democratic Progressive Party in upcoming elections. ("Lee Teng-hui turns on Chen" page 3) Lee only urged his audience to make good use of the party ticket vote in the legislative elections. The material was sourced from Agence France-Presse, and the Taipei Times regrets the error." ...
Ang Lee, Taiwanese to the Core: "Lust Caution" and the Golden Horse Awards
Monday December 10
This past weekend the 44th Golden Horse Awards were held at the Taipei Arena and Ang Lee's film "Lust Caution" won in eight categories including best director and best film. ...
Christensen, Jay Leno & the Crystal Clear US Position on Taiwan's UN Referendum
Sunday December 09
On December 6, 2007, US Deputy Secretary of State Tom Christensen spoke to a roundtable and answered questions from reporters on Taiwan's upcoming UN Referendum Proposal. In the brief interchange with reporters Christensen repeatedly stressed over and over again that his main purpose was to make the US policy "perfectly clear" to the people of Taiwan. That this was a near verbatim repeat of what he said a couple of months back seemed to have no impact on Christensen. Such constant repetitions on the part of the US State Department serve only to raise questions of its credibility; the State Department can only fall back on its hackneyed past. ...
Taiwan and the UN, the Hypocrisy Continues
Saturday December 08
In a recent statement, former United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan managed to both put his foot in his mouth and at the same time expose the continuing hypocrisy and ineffectiveness of the UN. ...
Freedom, Taiwan's Presbyterian Church, China, and Religion
Wednesday December 05
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
This past week I had the opportunity to meet Wendell Karsen of the Reformed Church in America as he was being interviewed by Linda Arrigo on his experiences working in Taiwan with the Presbyterian Church from 1969--73. Karsen was one of many in the ranks of foreigners and ex-pats of that era expelled and/or blacklisted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It was the period known as the White Terror. The KMT then ruled by strict martial law; with spies and informers everywhere, they were quick to pounce on anyone who questioned their autocracy and/or spoke up for human rights. ...
Enron, China, and One-Track Economics
Sunday December 02
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
This past October with four other Taiwan scholars/advocates, I spent two weeks in seven European capitals discussing Taiwan and China issues with governmental leaders, think tanks, university professors, journalists etc. It was a beneficial and enlightening trip. There was much interchange and sharing of ideas. As would be expected positions varied from country to country, and naturally there was not always agreement. However, amidst the variety of positions expressed there were some that were so glib and callous in their solutions of how to make money off of the China economy that I found them frightening.
St. Andrew's Ball, Taipei 2007
Saturday December 01
All work and no play makes Jack and certainly Jerome a dull boy, so at this time of the year, we always go out to play is at the St. Andrew's Ball in Taipei. This year it was again sponsored by the British Chamber of Commerce and held on November 17 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. A fine night it was. ...
Taiwan, Who's Your Mama?
Sunday November 25
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
Two separate and seemingly unrelated articles published this past week cast new meaning on the uniqueness of Taiwan's history and identity and provide further insight on how the Taiwanese character, by being more honest in analyzing and facing its past than the Chinese character, can be more open to many things including democracy. The first article relates to the discovery that jade artifacts quarried in Fengtian (present day Hualien) were found not only in Taiwan, but the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand indicating flourishing sea trade patterns going back some 5,000 years. ...
Taiwan's Wild Side II
Wednesday November 21
While Taiwan may be a hi-tech island and lead the world in many products, with its many steep and rugged mountains, it still has its wild side. Last June 22, 2006, I had posted about a boar hunt where a man and his 15 dogs tracked down and cornered a 120 kg boar; now at 120 kg that is one big boar, something you would not want to face when it is cornered. The man's dogs got their share of gashes in that battle. ...
Eastern Bloc Countries See Through China's Patronizing Efforts at Control
Friday November 09
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
I have just returned from a trip through seven capitals of Europe (Brussels, Paris, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and London. There with four other scholars and advocates of Taiwan we presented the message that the 23 million people of Taiwan deserve the rightful recognition of their voice in world matters. We dialogued and talked with think tanks, leaders, politicians, professors, students, and anyone who would listen. It was exhausting but an informative and exhilarating trip.
China, Tibet, and Thought Control
Friday November 09
Thought control alert! Thought control alert! The Dalai Lama is at it again. This time this dangerous splittist is visiting Japan spreading his nefarious message of peace and harmony among men. Beware, beware! This man is dangerous! However, do not fear, true to form the PRC government has lodged a formal protest with the Japanese government that this hideous criminal should stay at home where his thoughts can be controlled. As for the rest of us, we are lucky that the Middle Kingdom of pollution, poison and propaganda is watching out for our minds. It is true that they are responsible for sending us SARS, poisoned food and toys etc. etc. etc. but at least they are watching out for our thoughts. ...
Down and Out and Blacklisted by the KMT as late as 1992
Monday October 15
Pundits of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) always try to make the pseudo claim that the KMT supported democracy as early as the 1960s by allowing paltry elections in Taiwan. What they don't say of course is the following. The elections were only for lesser positions because the main power of the country was held by the KMT President and Legislative Yuan (these were the KMT loyalists with an iron rice bowl. They were elected in 1947 and never had to run again; those that were still alive by 1992 were finally retired. They don't say that the KMT held the country under martial law until 1987; and that the dreaded Garrison Command which could interrogate prisoners with no restraints was not disbanded until 1992. They don't say that they did not allow opposition parties until 1987 though the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with many of its members still in jail from the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979 did dare to form a party in 1986. They also don't say that they had a blacklist to keep out anyone that was opposed to the KMT or was for independence. Since the KMT had given up aspirations of retaking China one would think that being a democracy meant that they were independent. Not so in the KMT's mind. ...
Taiwan's Statesman, Richard C. Kagan's Biography of Lee Teng-hui
Monday October 15
A new biography of Lee Teng-hui has just come out. The title is "Taiwan's Statesman, LeeTeng-hui and Democracy in Asia" (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD); the author is Richard C. Kagan Ph.D. Professor Emeritus in history at Hamline University in St. Paul Minnesota.
The Paradigm Diaries: a Beginning
Monday October 15
Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality.
All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration. ...
Machiavelli
China, How Much Control is Enough?
Friday October 12
I comment regularly on how the cabal of control freaks in the People's Republic of China (PRC) feel it is their god-given (excuse the ironic pun) hierarchical privilege and right to dominate and dictate all aspects of their citizens lives including their spiritual pursuits. But just when I think I have said it all, these people that continue to give us poisoned toothpaste, toys, baby cribs, cups etc. etc. prove me wrong. ...
Are China's Cheap Goods Really That Cheap? Taiwan, China and the US State Department: Examining the Idiocy
Wednesday October 03
Thanks to the USA's Freedom of Information Act, citizens of Taiwan, the USA, and the world now know how over 30 years ago Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon betrayed and sold out their ally Taiwan, the Republic of China. In addition to his wanting to gain China's support to counter threats from the USSR, the fawning way that Kissinger speaks therein of his Chinese counterparts indicates a man so wanting to be known as the one that opened up China for the USA that he would do anything to cut a deal and make a name for himself. If it meant selling out one time allies and the founding principles of the United States so be it. ...
Myanmar, China, and Democracy in the World
Friday September 28
Where's China? As the citizens of Myanmar struggle to protest their lost democracy, sympathy pours in from around the world. Monks are shot in the streets; monasteries are ransacked. Myanmar's military which refused to acknowledge the democratic victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's party in parliamentary elections over a decade ago continues its crackdown. It will not allow challenges to its authority. The situation worsens and finally the world community demonstrates awareness and concern for this situation, that is, all but China. As the one who could do something, China does nothing. ...
China's Cheap Goods are Cheap, Aren't They? Part I: Feeding the Bully
Monday September 24
How many countries in the world do you know of where the rulers insist on having the right to appoint bishops in the Catholic Church? How many countries in the world do you know of where the rulers insist on having the right to appoint the successors of the Dalai Lama and Pacnhen Lama? How many countries in the world do you know of where the rulers insist on having the right to appoint religious leaders of any and all religions? So what does religious freedom have to do with cheap goods? Look into that and you will begin to understand what is meant by feeding the bully. ...
Greenspan, Me, the United Nations, and the Inconvenient Truth about Taiwan
Monday September 17
It is not often that one finds oneself in the august company of people one admires so I must admit that I was happy in reading several quotes taken from Alan Greenspan's new book, "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World." There I found mutual agreement between us. Greenspan called a spade a spade in speaking about the Bush administration's leading the USA into Iraq. He wrote, "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." ...
Freedom House Highlights the Hypocrisy of the World Including the USA!
Thursday September 13
Kudos to Jennifer Windsor of Freedom House for pointing out clearly the hypocrisy of the world and the USA. After World War II, one of the founding principles of the UN has been that people shall have the right of self-detrmination. This seems to apply to all peoples except those in Taiwan. Windsor stated that the USA had "no business in joining with China to bully the Taiwanese people." She referred to the US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte stating that if Taiwan sought this right it would change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. (Isn't it strange that while others act freely in their own interests in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan seems to be the only one that gets scolded for changing the status quo?) ...
Blacklisting: Another of the Many Ways the KMT Strove to Control Thought on Taiwan
Friday September 07
A common falsehood that the followers of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) try to turn into a truism and a belief is that they fostered democracy on Taiwan beginning way back in the 1950s and 1960s. The thousands of political prisoners that were sent to Green Island from the 1950s through the 60s, 70s and 80s are just one of many facts that put this to the lie. But there are many more. ...
Alfredo Gonzales, Scooter Libby: Hired Guns and Perjured Lackeys
Thursday September 06
The resignation of Alfredo Gonzales is history and anyone who supports democracy and participative government cannot be anything but pleased. Some sense of justice has been rendered to the hegemonic, blind, my-way-or-the-highway management style that President Bush has been trying to force on the United States and the world. ...
Step Two: Examining Does the USA Really Have a Valid Strategic Plan for Taiwan and its Democracy?
Friday August 24
When you are up to your ass in alligators, the original brain-child idea to drain the swamp no longer seems so brilliant. What does this old business maxim have to do with Taiwan's vibrant democracy and the USA's Strategic Plans for it and the world? Please follow. The USA's founding principles support the ideal of democracy for itself and other nations. This supposedly is one of the reasons why the USA entered Iraq, to free that nation of its dictator Saddam Hussein. Keep this ideal in mind as we look back over the past seven years, and the long term Taiwan situation. For those of us who have lived in Taiwan for more than that time, the one main constant droning complaint and fear expressed by the US State Department has been that President Chen Shui-bian will announce the de facto reality that Taiwan is a viable democratic nation and as such belongs to no one. Supposedly the announcing of this de facto reality will upset the delicate balance of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. In the meantime of course, everyone else has been tipping the balance scales this way and that. China has totally ignored the status quo, and continues to pile up missiles aimed at Taiwan, but only Taiwan merits chastisement. ...
Step One: Anticipating China's Conciliatory Pundits
Wednesday August 22
The world is finally waking up to the draconian monster it has created and fed in outsourcing not only manufacturing and pollution but also quality control to China. It seemed convenient and profitable allegedly for all at the time; such a pitch was used to sell those that lost their manufacturing jobs. But now the recall snowball is gaining steam; pet food is being taken off the shelf; toothpaste is questionable, toys are a dangerous minefield; Mattel recalled first 1.5 million toys, then 9 million because of the threat of lead poisoning from substandard paint and parts. What next? As awareness grows with each new recall announcement, so also does the realization that the USA had extremely shoddy mechanisms in place to even try to catch one fifth of the avalanche of poor quality and dangerous imports from China. ...
Mattel, China, and the Contemporary Business Culture, You Reap What You Sow
Saturday August 18
I recently listened to Bob Eckert, the Chairman and CEO of Mattel trying to do damage control for the growing problems of their China-made products. Eckert stated that he was shocked, absolutely shocked how the plants that produce their products in China could have let them down. Note this fancy way of passing the buck. It was not really Mattel that had the poor quality, but the plants in China, reference my previous writing on the Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison, and Paternalistic Propaganda. Somehow after supporting and creating this hegemonic draconian monster, somehow after outsourcing pollution to China to supposedly solve their back yard problems, now the business community has also realized that part of the bargain with the devil is that they also have also agreed knowingly or unknowingly to outsource quality. ...
On the road Again But the Search Can Go On
Tuesday August 07
Will be on the road, doing some speaking and visiting of family and friends. However, interested parties can use the Search button on the left to go through the many categories and numerous past writings. There is a wealth of comment, perspective and viewpoints there from over the years; Use the different categories like Politics, or Technology and Life or China, Taiwan etc. Just type in the person or topic or category you wish to find in each. Cheers ...
The Price We All Pay for China, the Middle Kingdom of Pollution: Why Don't I Feel Safe? Taiwan Vignette III
Tuesday August 07
Recently the United States health chief made the statement that the USA would help China with product safety. That brought me little comfort. The USA is notorious for creating problems and then trying to express largess in solving them or else it tries to fit square pegs into round holes and force others to accept its solution. After I had written about the shame factor and machinations that produce the Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison and Paternalistic Propaganda, a friend wrote me that he had heard an expert describe the China situation in these terms. "The world is outsourcing its pollution to China." Those words hit the nail on the head. There is a bitter irony in those words as well because of the price we all pay. Some unfortunately must pay more than others. ...
Ma Ying-jeou, Reason, and Responsibility: Taiwan Vignette II
Monday August 06
As life goes on in Taipei, it becomes clearer and clearer that there are reasons why the Hong Kong born, indicted Ma Ying-jeou never passed the bar exam, either in the States or in the much tougher version in Taiwan. 1) They don't admit you to the bar just because you show up with a frozen smile and wearing jogging shorts. 2) You do have to take some responsibility for your actions in the past and not just pass them off by saying "the White Terror Period was another time, my support of it and participation in it should not be judged." And 3) You should demonstrate some sort of logic and reasoning in your speeches. ...
Shih Ming-teh, the Media, and the US$ 3 Million Anti-Corruption Scam: Taiwan Vignette I
Monday August 06
How long would it take an alleged anti-corruption group to blow US$3 million? Less than a year? You got it and in Taiwan none of the Pan-Blue media are asking for receipts. If you recall, less than a year ago, the media was awash with how Shih Ming-teh and his Red Shirt Army were going to purge the country of corruption. They asked the public for donations and got some NT$ 110 to 120 million (well over US$3.5 million). Praise the Lord, salvation was at hand for Taiwan, the Red Shirts were going to solve the country�s problems. So what did they accomplish with their US$ 3 plus million and how have they accounted for it? ...
The More than Flawed Bush Administration, Al Gore and Documentaries
Saturday August 04
While Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is hanging on by the skin of his teeth, his credibility is lost. Scooter Libby runs free despite his lies. New Orleans continues to suffer not only because of the hurricanes but also because of incompetent White House response to its needs and its lack of follow up. Iraq? Let's not even talk about it. Through it all, the general attitude of the American people seems to be, if we can hang on for a year or so, at least we will finally be rid of George Bush. But there is one question I would like to ask, if George Bush had not won the Presidency, what kind of documentary would he have produced? Could it have in any way matched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth?" Be Honest Now ...
I Never did Like Richard Nixon, but I did Shake his Hand
Friday August 03
Sometimes the most casual of life experiences can present us with and reveal the strangest of confluences and leave us with unforgettable memories. It was December of 1968, which already gives you an idea of how old I am, and I was driving down to Florida in my trusty '66 Plymouth, Lily Marlene. Taking advantage of semester break to escape the harsh Michigan winter at a college where I was teaching, I was fleeing to the sunny beaches of Florida. Little did I know how that trip would bring me back in touch with three unusual people that continue to influence my life. Two of them I respect and admire, one I only respect.
The Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison, and Paternalistic Propaganda: China's New Inconvenient Truth and its Effect on Taiwan and the World, Part III
Thursday August 02
The world is cruising toward the Genocide Olympics and the smell of the growing cancer is already in the air. It appears all over, even in less related matters. The pride in being No. 1 exceeds all other considerations. On one side of the Atlantic, the once gloried Tour de France has been exposed to be in reality the Tour du Dope. On the other side of the Atlantic, in baseball which allegedly was played for love of the game, Barry Bonds pursuit of Hank Aaron�s record is tainted with the question of steroids. And then in Asia there are the Genocide Olympics. All certainly is not right with the world if corruption that is so prevalent in higher echelons has filtered down to these simple pastimes that men pursue. And yet while many may be counting on the coming Olympics to distract or rise above the increasing poisonous problems with China, they will instead put the focus of the spotlight right there. What is trying to be hidden here is a strange, symbiotic, self-destructive relationship that the whole world is being dragged into.
The Tale of the Unwanted Relative: Ma Ying-jeou, and the KMT's Stolen State Assets
Sunday July 29
Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
The African proverb above is essential to understanding the many issues of Taiwan; transitional justice is at the top of that list. It is easy for outsiders to say, the past is past, let's simply move on. But Taiwan's past has always been one of colonization; its past historians have been those wined and dined by the colonizers. The past is not simply the past; rather it should be prologue, a prologue for justice, transitional justice. Taiwan is now a democracy but one of its political party's, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) remains in control of the bulk of state assets from when it ruled as a dictatorial one-party state. This is the true past...
Taiwan's Stolen Assets: Will the KMT Ever Own Up?
Sunday July 29
Transitional Justice where is it in Taiwan? Has it ever come here? In the previous post we had seen how the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has gone on record to admit it has over NT$ 25,000,000,000 in assets, that is NT$25 billion (US$ 757,757,757.00 million). Its closest rival, the ruling party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has barely about one per cent of that, it has approximately NT$ 250,000,000 in assets, or US$ 7.5 million. What explains this huge discrepancy? How does the main opposition have so much and all the other parties including the ruling party have so little? On Saturday July 28th, the Taiwan Thinktank sponsored the International Conference on the Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice to provide the answer.
Taiwan's Stolen Assets and the KMT's Smoking Gun
Wednesday July 25
Just how much smoke do you need from a smoking gun to point out the truth? The figures released by the Ministry of the Interior on the wealth of the various political parties brought back the jarring reality that transitional justice has not been fully carried out and that the stolen assets that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) still remain stolen. ...
The Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison, and Paternalistic Propaganda: China's New Inconvenient Truth and its Effect on Taiwan and the World, Part II
Tuesday July 24
Shame or guilt? Finding identity in a group or finding it in ourselves? If our identity comes from our imagined grouping, community or state then, by this need for identity through belonging, we automatically open ourselves to manipulative leaders. Shame and the threat of banishment become powerful weapons. The chief passion of the frustrated is "to belong;" there can never be too much cementing and binding to satisfy this passion. While Renan said, fanatics fear liberty more than they do persecution, I would also add to this that the manipulative leaders of fanatics also fear the liberty of their subjects. They fear it more than they do attack from enemies outside. To eliminate such fear the leaders must control not only the people but the people's main sources of information such as the media, the press, and the education system, with these they have powerful tools at their disposal...
The Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison, and Paternalistic Propaganda: China's New Inconvenient Truth and its Effect on Taiwan and the World, Part I
Saturday July 21
Guilt and Shame! Ruth Benedict broached this controversial distinction in her book, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword stating that there are guilt-based cultures and shame-based cultures. She further went on to posit that the Western world is governed more by guilt while the Eastern world is governed more by shame. How accurate that is, I will leave to the psychologists and anthropologists. In my own thought we all suffer from elements of both, but one of the two will usually predominate and influence our actions more deeply. However what is more important is to figure out who or what controls and defines our guilt and/or our shame, how this relates to our sense of self and how that guilt or shame affects the world around us...
Additional What Might Have Beens for Taiwan Come to Life
Monday July 16
More countries should have clear Freedom of Information Acts. Certainly, a Freedom of Information Act such as that of the United States is a valuable asset for the countries citizens, for historians and for those interested in what really happened. It does not guarantee that all of any country's secret past dealings, motivations, and maneuverings of its leaders will come to light; it does not mean that all potential skeletons will eventually be found, but it does mean that a better grasp of history can be gotten from the past and we can get a little closer to the truth. ...
TAITRA (Taiwan) is Hunting Talent: in the IT Field and Other Professional Areas
Tuesday July 10
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is offering a free recruitment service for both foreigners living in or outside Taiwan and Taiwanese living outside Taiwan. They call it HiRecruit Services.
They introduce it by saying: If you are seeking further professional development and career advancement in a world-renowned high tech country as Taiwan, and would like to be rewarded through better compensation and the personal satisfaction that you are growing as a professional . . . Then look no further than HiRecruit Services.
Observations and Comments on Denny Roy's "Taiwan a Political History"
Friday July 06
Denny Roy's "Taiwan, a Political History" (published by Cornell University, 2003) claims to have an objective approach ("I am beholden to no particular political organization in Taiwan and have aimed for a balanced assessment." ix) yet the book repeatedly shows the influence that it is the Pan-Blue politicians who most often have had his ear and that he does not want to directly offend the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation which had funded the book...
The Indicted Ma Ying-jeou, Left Hanging or Hung out to Dry?
Wednesday July 04
Yesterday was not a good day for the Hong Kong born, indicted former Taipei mayor, Ma Ying-jeou who believes he is the one destined to unite Taiwan with China--if he can only become president. First, there was the Next Magazine article that suggested Ma was guilty of ignoring construction defects and contract scandals in the Taipei Arena in order to gain kudos for opening it before his term as mayor expired. The building still has 30 deficiencies even after two years of operation plus there is the allegation that Eastern Multimedia Group (EMG) chairman Gary Wang bribed Ma's city government officials to win the nine-year contract. Not to worry, succeeding Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Mayor Hau Lung-bin said he has a special KMT committee to review all of the above. We are in safe hands. ...
Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and the Falun Gong
Monday July 02
July 1, marked the tenth anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China. In Hong Kong, there were celebratory fireworks, a parade, and a public visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. In contrast, there was also a pro-democracy protest numbering anywhere from 20,000 to 68,000 depending on whether you believe the Hong Kong police or the protest organizers. Ten years had passed and Hong Kong is in no way closer to the democracy and autonomy promised by the People's Republic of China (PRC). A simple bellwether of this lack of progress can be seen in the continued mistreatment of members of the Falun Gong. Several members of the Falun Gong that went to Hong Kong from Taiwan for this day were denied entry and sent back to Taiwan. ...
From the Belly of the Beast: a New Democracy Exhibit Tours Taiwan
Monday July 02
Taiwan continues in its search for a unifying identity, yet one major impediment remains; how to resolve the crimes of its tumultuous past. True, Taiwan has finally and painstakingly achieved its democracy, but the nation has still not dealt with the legacy of the past 45 years of colonial aggression, white terror, and systematic propaganda. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) which profited immensely during those years wants to downplay their damage; the Taiwanese who suffered in that same period seek transitional justice. This conflict creates Taiwan's identity problem. Nowhere perhaps was the contrast of these two positions more evident than in the dual exhibitions that recently were seen side by side in the former Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (now Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall). One of those exhibits now tours Taiwan...
The KMT and Their Flag: Is Puyi Power Better than None?
Friday June 22
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is famous for duping its lower members with false beliefs, images, and hopes and then reversing itself. None perhaps was as classic as the perpetuated propaganda from the 1950s through the 1970s that it was just a matter of time before they would retake China. For decades party loyalists projected the mythical belief that despite getting soundly trounced and run out of China by the forces of Mao Tse-tung, the people in China were just dying for the KMT's corrupt regime to return and liberate them. For decades many party members believed this farce.
Wang Chien-ming, the Yankees and Taiwan: a Thought for the Day
Thursday June 21
As a country, Taiwan is in dire need of unifying symbols and a sense of purpose to which all Taiwanese can relate and draw inspiration from. At present the opposite is true. Whether we speak of the national flag, the national anthem, interpretations of the country's past, the future vision of the country, the followers of the green or blue political camps have trouble agreeing on anything. There is however, one hope, one area where I find members of all parties agree upon. What's that? Sports, and in particular I speak of the figure of Wang Chien-ming, pitcher for the New York Yankees. Wang's W/L record was 19-6 in 2006; this year he has seven wins and if he keeps healthy could become a 20 game winner. The local TV channel covers all Yankee games and Wang's exploits are closely followed by all. If I were the President, I would make it a law that Wang cannot join any political party; after all, he is the one thing that unites all of Taiwan.
Taiwan Independence, an Identity in Process
Sunday June 17
Many historians try to make much of the fact that the Taiwanese in 1895 or at other times did not have a clear idea of Taiwan independence. They make the common mistake that any nation has a clear idea of its identity and goals at any specific moment in time or that a singular vision and common identity is shared by all levels of its populace at any time. Reality tells us that this is never so. Because of this, we see that the motivation of participants in history is likewise quite often mixed.
The US State Department Remains Mired in its Green Cheese Fantasy World
Sunday June 03
The United States State Department in true ostrich-like fashion persists in keeping its head buried in the sand. It seems that the only way it knows to resolve problems like that of the Taiwan Strait is to resort to mantra-like repetitions of stock phrases, "The Moon is made of Green Cheese; the Moon is made of Green Cheese, and we have a One-China Policy. We have a One-China Policy." Somehow State Department officials hope with hegemonic intent that everyone will follow their wishes and that their worst nightmare (one which they created and re-created from the San Francisco Treaty down through the Shanghai Communiqué and continuing communiqués) will go away...
A Fable: The US of A's The Moon is Made of Green Cheese One-China Policy
Sunday May 27
The best and quickest way to assess the ignorance and/or laziness of the average bureaucrat, politician, and/or journalist is to simply ask them to expostulate on the United States' "One China" policy; that same policy inevitably and ironically comes up when the sovereignty of Taiwan is mentioned. Why ironic? Taiwan is a country that cares for and has fought long and hard for its democracy; it has certainly fought much longer and harder than the nation of Iraq. Yet those same US bureaucrats that are more than willing to throw good money after bad to redeem a resistant Iraq prefer that Taiwan cower from declaring its democracy. Taiwan should not bother the rest of the world as that world tries to make money in the overheating China market with its tainted products. Instead Taiwan should play the role of beggar in the streets accepting whatever meager handouts it is given. ...
The China Post Blows it Again: Taiwan's Pan-blue Paper Continues to Contort History
Friday May 25
The "China Post" (CP) is what some call our local Pan-blue rag. It is a paper that began in the 1950s and prospered during the dictatorial reigns of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo. This was the time of White Terror and Martial Law when writers, journalists, and other commentators were either being assassinated, kicked out of the country or spending long years in prison on Green Island for saying anything that might be construed as critical of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). The high profile cases of Henry Liu, Tina Chou, and Bo Yang are typical examples of what was standard fare for those who did not conform to the regime...
Taipei, Taiwan, In Search of a Good Feng-shui Master
Monday May 21
In the wake of the changing of the name of Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall to Democracy Memorial Hall, another factor is coming to the fore. That is, how the feng-shui of the building itself reveals intended tribute to this dictatorial megalomaniac. Feng-shui masters are discussing on TV the numerous ways it resembles the tomb of an emperor, and trumpets the self-inflated image of a man who would not tolerate anyone under him stealing his limelight. It is not a memorial or image of one who espouses government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." ...
Ma Ying-jeou's Spin-doctors and the Taipei City Hall Corpse
Saturday May 19
Not too many would be aware of it, but we are fast approaching the anniversary date of the finding of a corpse on a Taipei City Hall balcony. It is not every day of course that an unclaimed corpse turns up at Taipei City Hall, but what made this corpse so unusual was that it had lain there on the 3rd floor balcony for over six months. The Hong Kong born and indicted former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, Ma Ying-jeou, was mayor then. ...
The KMT Shows its True Colors: They Prefer to Honor the Dictator Chiang Kai-shek over Democracy
Saturday May 19
Today, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) that allegedly was founded on the principles of government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" showed its true colors when it came to changing the name of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to Democracy Hall. They would rather honor the losing dictator that they followed to Taiwan,than honor the democracy of the people. ...
Shinenko, the Emerald Horizon: A Documentary on Taiwan Youth and World War II
Saturday May 19
Picture yourself at age 13 leaving your parents, your family, your friends, and the only place you have known for those 13 years. Alone, you board a train that will take you to a larger city, a port; there with similar youths you will board a ship that will take you to another land. It is Japan, the land of the emperor. What are your thoughts and feelings? ...
WHO Again Reveals its Lack of Concern for the 23 Million of Taiwan
Thursday May 17
From the folks that brought the world SARS, in a recent report from AFP, Beijing we find that following a string of such cases, two Chinese companies were responsible for poisonous additives that found their way into pet foods in the USA. Further China is fast becoming the world's biggest exporter of food-related health threats. WHO admitted the problem. ...
St. Lucia to WHO on China: "You Need LP!" **
Saturday May 12
It is over a week now since the small Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia (pop. 168,000) stood up to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and once again set up diplomatic relations with the island nation of Taiwan. In quick retrospect, the actions of St. Lucia stand out in sharp contrast with the recent actions of the World Health Organization (WHO) which once again caved in to PRC demands and refused to admit Taiwan any kind of member status or participation in WHO. ...
Ma Ying-joke, a Sign of More to Come?
Thursday May 10
The Hong Kong born, indicted former Mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying-jeou did his usual shuffle once again. It followed a statement made to please the People's Reppublic of China by Wu Yu-sheng, a KMT Legislator, in an interview with Chinese Central TV (CCTV). Wu stated that the indicted Ma was a candidate for "Taiwan leader" in the upcoming 2008 Presidential elections of Taiwan. ...
Taiwan Studies M.A. Degree Program in English
Tuesday May 08
Chang Jung Christian University will be offering an all English Master of Arts degree program in Taiwan Studies for foreign students, beginning August 2007. Applications ar being accepted. The program focuses on the principal features of Taiwan's history, social organization, political and economic institutions and related cultural phenomena. ...
Florence, Italy, a Showcase of the Renaissance
Sunday May 06
Florence, the very name that the early Romans gave it, Florentia (destined to flourish) tells it all. You cannot hear the name of this city without thinking of its rich historic and artistic past. It is the home of the Medici and the birthplace of the Renaissance. Almost every Italian artist of note has left his mark on the city. Even some earlier ones like Dante Alighieri, author of the "Divine Comedy" (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso), wrote that work because he was forced into exile from the city in 1303...
Taiwan, China, and the Olympics Part II: More Half-baked Journalism
Sunday April 29
As China seeks to use the Olympic torch route to bolster its claim to possess and rule Taiwan, another typical one-sided, hackneyed phrase used by journalists appears. It joins the list of stock phrases that journalists are either ordered to use by their syndicates or are too lazy to seek the full detailed explanations behind them. Some past phrases are Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province. (Journalists never print what Taiwan considers China.) Or there is the old chestnut, Taiwan, which has always been a part of China. (Hello, do you ever read history?). The current phrase (while not entirely new) states that Taiwan and China have been ruled by separate governments since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. This implies that Taiwan was always ruled by one and only one form of government before. It is time to clarify this half truth and set the record straight...
Taiwan, China, and the Olympics Part I, Who is Playing Politics?
Friday April 27
The Olympic Charter states that politics and sport should be kept separate. Yet China is claiming surprise that Taiwan has rejected its politically planned route for the Olympic torch.
Peng Ming-min Part I: A Principled Search for Democracy
Saturday April 21
Peng Ming-min is a man who could have had it all. He had family background, education, position, prominence, and recognition by the Republic of China (ROC) and its President, Chiang Kai-shek. What more could one ask for in the 1950s and early 60s in Taiwan. He had even been named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of Taiwan by the Taiwan Junior Chamber of Commerce. Yes, Peng Ming-min is a man who could have had it all at that time. All he had to do was give up his foolish and silly ideas about democracy and preach the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) party line and he could look forward to a very comfortable and influential life. He didn't. ...
Looking for Something to Do? Taipei is Full of Surprises, Bobwundaye
Saturday April 21
Taipei is always full of surprises no matter how long you have lived here. There are always new shops, new businesses, new restaurants etc. springing up overnight. Just last night Monika and I discovered a small pub, Bobwundaye, right in our neighborhood. We had gotten an email from D. C. Rapier of the Taiwan Blues Society that Dave Chen and Conor Prunty of the Muddy Basin Ramblers were having a jam session there and any and all were welcome. ...
Good Old Sun Yat-sen, Is He Still Turning in His Grave?
Sunday April 15
The end of April approaches and the newly elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman, Wu Po-hsiung, is preparing for his trip to China. He states that he wants to have "substantive talks" with the leadership of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Is it only me or does anyone else wonder why the newly elected leader of the KMT sees fit to first talk to the PRC instead of first going to the people of Taiwan to see what they want?
Taiwan Needs Grass-roots Democratic Development
Saturday April 14
Joel Linton gave his first sermon in Taiwanese this past Easter. Now a provocative letter he shared with the North American Taiwanese Professors Association (NATPA)expressed both his thoughts and vision for the future of Taiwan. The letter points out the problems Taiwan still faces from the KMT's authoritarian control of this country; but it further issues a challenge to all to develop responsible citizens who will hold all their politicians accountable. I place the letter below. ...
A Special Easter in Taiwan
Wednesday April 11
Easter is a celebration of resurrection and rebirth. This past Easter was a special day in Taiwan. On that day, Joel Linton the American husband of Lin Huan-chun (Judy Lin) the only surviving daughter of Lin Yi-hsiung gave his first sermon in Taiwanese. What made it more special was that he gave it in the same place that his wife's twin sisters and grandmother had been murdered during the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) White Terror period in 1980.
Pictures of Italy, Venice is Hard to Beat
Friday April 06
Venice is Venice and like no other city. Romantic, picturesque, a network of canals, walkways and bridges, it possesses a charm and way of life that is both compact and cosmopolitan. Numerous writers, musicians, and artists have fallen under its inspiration and spell; it was the highlight of the Grand Tour for English nobility; and I for one will certainly add my name to the list of those who love Venice. ...
Chiang Kai-shek's Pitiful Legacy and the Minions Who Try to Defend it
Sunday April 01
How should Chiang Kai-shek be remembered? This is the challenging problem facing Taiwan. The statues of Chiang Kai-shek are tumbling all over the nation of Taiwan, but some previous beneficiaries of Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship staunchly defend their erstwhile benefactor. Examine the chief arguments they put forth. ...
Taiwan, Just When You Thought You Had Seen It All
Sunday April 01
More breaking news. It looks like Taiwan will have interesting and rioutous times from now until December and the Legislative Yuan elections. The number of seats has been halved so that there will be fierce fighting for positions even within the parties. If this is not enough recent remarks by Shih Ming-deh and Ma Ying-jeou promise to keep people wondering with disbelief. ...
KMT Dominated Taoyuan County Police Break up Anti-CKS Skit
Friday March 30
Breaking News. From Linda Arrigo on the scene. On Saturday morning March 31, a skit was being performed in the parking lot near Chiang Kai-shek's burial place. In it Johnny Huang (Huang Yu-Chi) portrayed the spirit of CKS being called to judgement. In typical police state fashion of the old days when the Kuomintang would censor and not tolerate any contrary expression of opinion, the police in this KMT dominated county moved in to break it up. ...
Chu Mei-feng and Taiwan's Bhagwa Mill
Saturday March 24
For those who like to follow the bhagwa (gossip) around town, local papers recently reported that Chu Mei-feng (now age 40 but I am sure still attractive) was hired on as the news anchor by Macau Asian Satellite TV (MASTV) at the comfortable salary of Hong Kong $3 million or US$360,000 a year. Certainly it's not a bad six figure salary and enough to live on. ...
Taipei 101, a Benefit to Taiwan in Many Ways
Wednesday March 21
No one has doubted that having the tallest building in the world has benefited Taipei and Taiwan in numerous ways. First it is a tourist attraction not only for Taiwanese but also for the international crowd. Come New Years Eve, it is a focal point and draws many to view its fireworks display sponsored the last couple of years by SONY. Events like local climbathons draw crowds. Page One, the bookstore on the 4th floor has one of the widest selections in the city. And of course, there is the view from the top observation area, where one can get a great view of Taipei, east, south, north and west. ...
Chiang Kai-shek's Legacy: Small-minded Minions Struggle to Maintain His Image
Saturday March 17
Taiwan's Strawberry Generation is often blind and/or oblivious to the oppressive past that their parents endured. The then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government regularly suppressed information and forbade certain discourse under penalty of jail, torture and even death. It even tried to deny the history of the world. Remnants of that controlling past remain and can easily be found for those who have eyes to see.
Taiwan 2007 Taking Stock V, Let the People Be Heard
Friday March 16
As the time for the primaries for Taiwan's 2008 presidential elections approaches, both the blue and the green camps unfortunately seem to be in agreement on one matter. They want to select their representative candidates from behind closed doors instead of letting the people have their say in open primaries. ...
Warning: Hello Kitty Plays Hardball in Taiwan
Friday March 16
The statues of Chiang Kai-shek are falling; the pan-blue dominated Legislative Yuan continues to hold the country's budget hostage, politicians and pundits on both sides of the political fence are arguing who should or should not get the nod for the 2008 presidential elections. Chaos threatens; tempers are short, but amidst all this turmoil, there is one person you don't want to cross, that person is Hello Kitty. ...
Rome, the Vatican, and the Republic of China's European Embassy
Tuesday March 13
Yes Virginia, Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC) does have a European Embassy; it is smack dab in the middle of Rome, Italy and a stone's throw from the Vatican with whom it is connected. As you leave the Basilica of St. Peters and go out past the colonnade designed by Bernini (photo 1), you find yourself on the Via della Conciliazione going toward the Castel Sant'Angelo. About halfway there on the northern side of the street you can see the ROC flag and embassy credentials (photos 2 & 3). ...
Taiwan and Its Past: Chiang Kai-shek Must Go!
Monday March 12
In developing democracies, how they deal with their dictatorial pasts is crucial. Taiwan is undergoing such change. A number of the statues of Chiang Kai-shek have recently been removed from various places around the island to a park in Taoyuan. Chiang Kai-shek International Airport has been renamed Taoyuan International Airport. The question of the rectification of other names is being dealt with. Yes, change is in the air, but Taiwan has still not yet caught up with the rest of the world. Certainly one major statue of Chiang Kai-shek glaringly remains, the statue in Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. This statue and memorial name must go. ...
The CNN Saga Continues: Follow the Money
Sunday March 11
In a Graham Greene novel, the police chief in a dictatorial banana republic, comments to another character that even in a dictatorial state, there is a double standard in the way that they can treat prisoners of the state. He comments, "There are prisoners that you can torture and prisoners that you cannot." He is referring to the difference between those with money and family background and those without.
The PRC, Tibet, and Texas: the PRC Would Never Tolerate Texas!
Sunday March 11
If one lives in Texas for even a brief period of time, he/she soon quickly knows from native Texans that Texas is the most unique state in the Union. Texas, the Lone Star State, was its own Republic for some nine years from 1836 to 1845. This Republic was set up in 1836 after a successful revolt against Mexico and the subsequent defeat of Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto. A year later, Texas was recognized by the United States, and in 1845 it joined the Union. This is taught to every seventh grader in Texas in their Texas State History Class, and if you didn't learn it then, Texans will make sure you know it later. ...
CNN Sucks II, the Bad, the Worse and the Ugly: Viewers Speak Out
Thursday March 08
There is a joke going around about CNN's most recent gaffe on Taiwan and cross strait issues with China. Question: Why shouldn't CNN have an opinion of its own on Taiwan's democracy? Answer: Because to support an opinion you need a backbone.
CNN Continues to Suck Up to China
Wednesday March 07
Once again CNN has shown its total lack of any sense of what is going on in Asia. Once again, they have sacrificed good journalism to suck up to the People's Republic of China (PRC). Once again its reporters have proven they can only report the PRC's narrow perspective of the world. ...
Burano, Lido, and Murano: Part of the Venice Experience
Wednesday March 07
Venice is not the only island off the northeast coast of Italy. Other islands there are also worth experiencing. Three are Burano, Lido, and Murano. Each has it own flavor. ...
Carnival in Venice: What More Could You Ask For?
Friday March 02
Venice is a very special place to visit any time of year, but to visit there during Carnival, now that is really special. During Carnival, this scenic photographer's paradise is filled with festive, costumed people of all ages, all sizes, and all nationalities. ...
China: Give Us 100 More Years, You'll be Dead then Anyway
Friday March 02
Wen Jiabao recently spoke on China's national goals and began by assuring all the fat cats in the upper government and business levels that they need not worry about having to share power and privilege as they might in a democracy. Economic reform would he said take precedence over any political changes. China would adhere to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) form of socialism for the next 100 years. He did not deny that China could work toward democracy but that it would have to wait for at least 100 years. ...
Shih Ming-deh Alert! Any Good USA Paparazzi Out There?
Sunday February 25
As the world turns in Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT's) Last Blue Hope was indicted for fraudulent misuse of funds just before the Chinese New Year. Yes, good old Ma, remember how six months ago he was demanding that Chen Shui-bian step down from the presidency not because Chen was indicted, but because his son-in-law was indicted on insider trading issues? Well the horse is off and running; he seems to have taken his own personal indictment as a different political sign. Somehow this qualifies him to run for the presidency on a clean up Taiwan platform. I will have a lot more on this shortly.
Happy Lunar New Year: Travelling but May the Pig Bring Prosperity to All
Sunday February 11
Taking some time out for travels. Will be In Italy and hope to bring back some interesting photos and news. After the new year you can expect some articles on your favorite Mr. Clean candidate Ma Ying-joke, the Rectification of Names issue and More. Cheer ...
Taiwan 2007 Taking Stock IV, Send Out the Clowns
Sunday February 11
The passing months continue Taiwan's count down towards the December 2007 Legislative Yuan elections. With the legislature being pared down to half its size (225 to 113 seats) and the voting switched from the one vote multiple member district scenario, Taiwan's new Legislative Yuan will have to be lean. It will have no room for excess baggage, and certainly no room for clowns. ...
Yes Virginia, You Should Not Trust Dollar Diplomacy
Tuesday February 06
People here in Taiwan sometimes criticize the Chen government on its periodic forays into the practice of dollar diplomacy. Some are idealists and do it so vehemently and so frequently that they give the impression that they believe that Taiwan is the only country in the world that does it. Others that are Pan-blue criticize the current government as if they believe the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) never stooped to do it in the past. Still others, the pragmatists, criticize because they believe that Taiwan can not match the spending of the People's Republic of China (PRC) dollar for dollar as the PRC continues to try and deny the people of Taiwan their place in the world. The following story should please all of the above; certainly it questions the moral that Dollar Diplomacy does work.
Elmer Feng and His Past: Do We Want to Go There?
Tuesday February 06
Henry Lee is back in favor in Pan-blue circles. The Lee that we are talking about of course is the well known Dr. Henry Lee, forensics expert from the United States. Lee is one who has been brought in to provide testimony in numerous trials including the infamous O.J. Simpson trial. Most in Taiwan however will remember him because the Pan-blue camp brought him over in 2004 to prove once and for all that the Chen assassination attempt was a hoax and that it robbed Lien Chan of his birthright to be president. ...
Taiwan's Hakka and Taiwanese Identity:Democracy Remains the Key
Monday February 05
Perhaps no group in China's history has wandered more and experienced more the role of second class citizens than the Hakka people. Displaced by wars and rejection, they have migrated from place to place so often, that they are called the "Jews of the East." Their very name means guest, unfortunately more often than not it suggests the connotation of being an unwelcome guest. For this reason it was most appropriate and fitting that by recently forming the Taiwan Society Hakka, they should be the ones to point the way to solidarity of identity in Taiwan. ...
Trust the Bloggers and Not the Bobble Heads
Sunday February 04
I still remember the boring morning I spent on the Sunday after Taiwan's March 2004 presidential elections. The Taiwan Sociological Society had gathered two panels of so-called foreign experts to give the foreign press and locals their opinions on why Chen Shui-bian won and the Chinese Nationalist Party lost. They talked and talked, on and on; in the end they had given us nothing but pabulum. No one had told us anything we did not know before. Only Shen Fu-shiung in his unfortunate way of trying to be cute came up with his "silver bullet theory." The other so-called experts either did not have any answers or they were too afraid to risk their prominence and take a position.
A Touch of Fated Humor Taiwan-Style: Sometimes Parents do Know What is Best.
Friday February 02
There are times when truth is stranger than fiction. Recently an unusual story resembling a Hong Kong movie on fate and life made the rounds of the newspapers. The story had the potential of being tragic but fortunately for all, it ended only with some painful wisdom. ...
Taiwan 2007, Taking Stock III, See Politicians for What They Are
Thursday February 01
All that glitters is not gold--such a simple saying yet how truly it reflects the reality of political office. Politicians are seldom what they seem or what they should be; certainly they should not be idolized. There is an infectious amnesia about political office that once politicians get elected they quickly forget who put them there and why. If they do not take their office as a license for self-serving indulgence and abuse, at least their priorities quickly change.
Charles William LeGendre, A French Yankee in Taiwan's Court
Tuesday January 30
One of the most colorful Americans to be associated with Taiwan in the 19th Century was Charles William LeGendre (1830-1899). A rare man whose active life spanned three continents long before trans-oceanic flights existed, LeGendre was born in Ouillins, France on August 26, 1830. He attended the Royal College of Rheims and then the University of Paris from which he graduated. In 1854 he married Clara Victoria Mulock, the daughter of a prominent New York lawyer. This new union changed his life by bringing him to the United States at a time when that country was moving steadily towards civil war. ...
Taiwan 2007, Democracy, the KMT's 5 dos, Quislings and Reality
Sunday January 28
When Ma Ying-jeou visited Taichung recently, members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) asked him to clarify the party's policy towards China. In the past, Ma had said that the ultimate goal was unification with China and then in his typical song and dance/shuffle fashion of trying to please everyone, he also said he recognized independence was an option for Taiwan. Now fearing he may be forced to take a clear position Ma is seeking a nebulous middle ground where he can speak pleasant vagaries without any real commitment. He found it by saying he wants to maintain the stagnant quo. ...
Taiwan 2007, Taking Stock II: Scoping out True Reform
Friday January 19
Where have all the red shirts gone, short time passing?
Where have all the red shirts gone, short time ago?
Where have all the red shirts gone?
Returned to hypocrites everyone,
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn. ...
On the Lighter Side, Is Life a Sudoku Puzzle?
Friday January 12
What is the good life and how does one live it? St Augustine for example offered a simple direct solution, Love God and do what you will. The Beatles reduced that to, All you need is love. The Book of Ecclesiastes took a different and more questioning approach with Vanity of vanities, all is vanity; while Marilyn Monroe on the other hand, contradicted that (at least for women) in the song Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Whatever one's culture and age there are plenty of simple explanations and pat solutions to the question and meaning of life. Unfortunately, however easy these are, my experience has been, especially if one tries to live authentically and responsibly, that life is complex not simple. ...
Taiwan 2007, Choosing a National Bird
Thursday January 11
There are many issues that face Taiwan as it struggles to maintain and develop its democracy. The following may certainly not be top priority but it is relevant. Yes, the time has come for Taiwan to choose a national bird and best of all, you can participate. Note my words, I am specifically saying "Choose a National Bird", not a Provincial Bird. Note also, that choosing a national bird is not the same as choosing a national emblem, though that is something Taiwan should consider for the future as well. ...
Taiwan 2007, Taking Stock I, the Keelung Corruption Case Continues
Tuesday January 09
Recall when Keelung Mayor Hsu Tsai-li (already under investigation in a criminal case) was running for re-election in 2005, Ma Ying-jeou as Chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) endorsed him and campaigned for him. Hsu was subsequently indicted in May 2006; nevertheless Ma still excused his actions by saying that indictment did not constitute guilt or corruption. Finally of course in September 2006, Hsu was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison; Ma then reluctantly and begrudgingly had the KMT cancel Hsu's membership. Case over? Not quite, this case still has legs and has yet to play itself out. ...
2007, Taiwan's Year for Reflection, Preparation and Production
Friday January 05
It is almost the 12th day of Christmas, the feast of the Three Kings, and the Christmas holidays are drawing to a close. In the Christian tradition, the period of Lent will be approaching; it is a period of reflection, penitence, and preparation for Easter rebirth and resurrection. Lent follows a lunar calendar and begins at the same time as the New Year in the Chinese tradition. This year is also 2007, for Taiwan that means the approaching 60th anniversary of er-er-ba (February 28, 1947). This too represents a time for continued reflection on the island's progress and sense of identity. Crucial for this year will be the elections for the Legislative Yuan in December; they may even be combined with the 2008 elections of the president. Whatever way I look at it, it is time to shake off the indolence of the holidays and get back to writing. ...
As Taiwan and the World Turn: the Scots Dance On!
Tuesday December 26
Whatever dire predictions the media (foreign or local pan-blue) had painted for Taiwan leading up to the December mayoral elections, life in the capital of Taipei was going on as usual thank you. This meant that in November the Scots had their St. Andrew's Ball and we were happy as always to join them in their festivities. This year however there was one slight change; the ball was not on the last Saturday of the month as tradition dictates but on the 3rd Saturday (November 18). Nevertheless we all adjusted and had a great time as photos will show. ...
Focus on 2007 and not 2008: the Message for Taiwan Voters
Sunday December 17
The Taipei and Kaohsiung Mayoral elections are over