Jerome F. Keating's writings

Taiwan, the UN, What's in a Name?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:06:26 +0700

We have all witnessed how quickly the People's Republic of China (PRC) kept their most recent promise to refer to Taiwan as Zhonghua Taibei (Chinese Taipei) and not Zhongguo Taibei (Taipei, China) as regards the 2008 Olympics. This broken promise followed upon the heels of the previous broken promise that they would originally use this term. But another issue now faces Taiwan, that of United Nations membership. Not to worry, Ma's Cub Scouts are again hard at work, flying by the seat of their pants. Each year since 1993, Taiwan makes application to regain membership in the United Nations (UN). What name to use is an issue? This is the name game and charade that Taiwan plays with the hypocrites of the world who trade and make money with Taiwan as an equal, who have cultural exchanges with Taiwan as equals, who do everything else with Taiwan as equals but who cannot bring themselves to officially recognize Taiwan as diplomatic equals because that would jeopardize their ability to make money from China. Traditionally Taiwan had used the name of Republic of China for entry. This was always shot down by China; so last year they switched to the name Taiwan with no greater success. This year Henry Chen, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that they would not follow the previous administration�s (Chen Shui-bian�s) strategy. Fair enough, each administration has it own call, so what brainstorm will they come up with for this annual issue? Ma was elected in March 2008 and he and his cabinets took office in May 2008. Now it is July 2008. Taiwan�s application to the UN, a standard annual priority in Taiwan�s affairs regardless of administration, is due. Allegedly Ma chose his cabinet on the grounds of their capability and seasoned experience. Unfortunately MOFA is stuck and seems to be taking its lead from the ostrich Ma. As for names they have a blank. They don't want to offend China. They also don�t think they can use previous names because referendums (with their high difficult threshold had failed) though the logic of that tests the mind. MOFA therefore floated the idea that they may use Chinese Taipei, the non-entity name given the Olympic team. Well we all know how much that was honored. The deadline for application, August 16, draws near; non-plussed, MOFA Chen says, "we will have a strategy by then, I cannot say what it will be, but there is still time." A strategy, yes, two weeks should be enough to whip up a strategy; when much of MOFA has been in place through both administrations. This is a no-brainer. To think that MOFA can come up with a name that China will approve other than that of PRC satellite is ludicrous. To think they can placate China is ludicrous. The problem in this matter is China and has always been China, not the previous Taiwan administration which Ma keeps trying to paint as the bad guy. Ma's team should be man enough and continue to expose the hypocrisy of the UN whose charter says that people have the right to self determination. They should not try to find a denigrating name that China would accept. Simply tell the Emperor that he has no clothes. A friend suggested a different name for MOFA to use, one that reflects the attitude of Mr. Ma and his pie-in-the-sky placating lackeys. That name is NITWITS, (Nameless Island Territory Wishing International Ties.) That has a ring to it; it certainly captures the spirit and character of Ma's cub scouts. ...

Taitung and the KMT's Kuang Li-chen: She Did it All for Love

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:14:22 +0700

One thing about Taiwan politics, it will never disappoint. Even in the remotest of areas, scandals and bhagwa can be brewing. The latest of a long string of episodes involves the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taitung County Magistrate, Kuang Li-chen. Kuang Li-chen has gained the reputation of being a jet-setting magistrate after having taken eight trips abroad in her two and a half years in office at a cost to tax-payers of 10 million NT dollars or roughly $1,200,000 NT dollars (US$40,000) a trip. ...

President Bush Makes it Clear?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:13 +0700

Lest one think that Ma Ying-jeou is the only problem Taiwan has in getting respect in the international community, examine the recent words of the United States President George Bush. Some have conjectured that a meeting with this man might be enough to convince the leaders of the People's Republic of China (PRC) or any totalitarian state that they would not want to risk the leadership of their country to the potential pitfalls of the results of a democratic election; regardless of that, the United States has continually and ambivalently sat on the fence as regards the status of Taiwan. Yes despite it being more than sixty years after World War II, the United States still does not know how it wants Taiwan to fit into its script. The US official position on Taiwan's status is that it is undetermined. ...

Ma Ying-joke's Alternate Universe

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:02:20 +0700

Ma Ying-joke, the naive president of Taiwan continues to live in his own little alternate universe, a universe so distant that no one can figure out where he is coming from. If you remember that yesterday I posted on how Ma boasted of the great diplomatic coup his staff had achieved by getting China to agree to use the term Zhonghua Taibei instead of Zhongguo Taibei in reference to Taiwan in the Olympics. The reality was that all they had gotten China to do is to agree to honor what it had pledged back ages ago. ...

The Buck Stops Elsewhere: Ma Ying-joke, Taiwan's Inveterate Poseur

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:24:07 +0700

Western media pundits in search of quick dramatic story lines have always glossed and glamorized Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou; few have observed him long and close enough to see the reality beneath the surface. For example, they always tout him as the brilliant Harvard lawyer though in reality while he did attend Harvard he never passed the bar in the United States or in Taiwan. He is spoken of as being a glamorous mayor of Taipei, but few can list any real concrete accomplishments of his eight year period in that office. True, gloss is easier than doing one's homework, but this is why such reporters feel surprise when more and more people express a different conception of Ma and have started to refer to him as Ma Ying-joke. What to make of it and why? Let me count the ways. ...

The US State Deparmtent and the KMT Fail Again

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:22:13 +0700

The farcical dance goes on, proving once again how difficult life is for the US State Department and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to cover up their ineptitude and kowtowing to China. Without Chen Shui-bian to blame, they are at sixes and sevens in trying to explain why there has been no activity on arms sales to Taiwan. The US State Department has said it wants to sell arms to Taiwan; the KMT says that they want to buy arms, so why is there no action? The dance continues with no results. Where is the problem? ...

The New Kissinger Institute: Score One for the China Lobby

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:16:21 +0700

I have been traveling for the past two weeks but am back in Taiwan and there is plenty to write about. First on the horizon is a blurb from Xinhua Agencies announcing that the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars inaugurated on July 29, the Kissinger Institute for China and the United States Relations. Before anyone shouts Hallelujah, there are basic questions that need to be asked. ...

Taiwan's Black Hole and the Cultural Imperialism of Zhonghua Minzu

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:07:05 +0700

Taiwanese have always had a black hole in their psyche. It is a black hole caused by underreported or misrepresented history, a black hole partly caused by their own neglect, a black hole caused by 50 years of colonial rule by Japan and another 50 years of martial law, white terror and indoctrination by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It is a black hole that looks at the years before 1895 as a vague blank. It shames Taiwanese of their present, and prevents them from discovering the fullness of their true identity, selves, and pride. It is a black hole that they must eradicate if they are ever truly going to know themselves, and their place in the world. ...

Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan's One Trick Pony

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:15:48 +0700

While his cabinet continues making mistake after mistake in governing Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou appears to be the proverbial one trick pony and have only one thing on his mind. Elected on his promises that he would send Taiwan's economy soaring, Ma's only solution and hope is to continue to keep repeating his mantra, "run to China." Life however, is not that simple. ...

The Difference Between Two Countries: More of Ma's Tourists Take Flight

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:01:18 +0700

In other related news, a second group of three more Chinese tourists have jumped ship and run after they got to Taiwan. The only Taiwanese that jump ship and flee to China from Taiwan are those under indictment or criminal charges in Taiwan. But perhaps Ma Ying-jeou will use the argument that they will spend more money if they hang around. Or will they go on to Canada and the United States ...

Flimflam and Fluff: Taiwan Voters and Their Syndromes

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:50:27 +0700

The days of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) control of indoctrination, propaganda and media are long gone (if you can consider twenty years as long gone), but that does not mean that the KMT does not keep influencing Taiwan voters. Witness Taiwan's last presidential election where many sheep-like voters were led to believe that Taiwan's main problem was its economy and that Chen Shui-bian was solely responsible for holding it back. Some may call this response a Stockholm syndrome result; hostages take on the beliefs and identity of their captors and Taiwanese have been hostage for fifty years under the KMT's one-party state rule and indoctrination. For me, I prefer to look on it as the failure of voters to do their homework. ...

Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen, a Woman to Watch

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:55:37 +0700

I recently had the pleasure to take part in a two-hour question and answer presentation to the Taiwan Foreign Correspondent's Club (TFCC) by Tsai Ing-wen, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) new Chairperson. Without any canned, prepared statements, Tsai immediately launched into any and all topics that the correspondents wanted to ask and know about. With a short break in the middle, this went on for two hours straight; it was all in English. In sharp contrast to Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou (oft touted by foreign media for his ability to speak English), Tsai did Ma one better. Ma will usually require prepared questions in advance so that he can avoid controversial topics. Tsai had no such requirement. ...

Taiwan: We'll Take Tibet's Torch over China's Any Day!

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:41:52 +0700

The fate of the Olympic Torch has been superceded in the international press by the Sichuan earthquake and other problems that China is facing as it tries to reduce pollution for the Olympics. But another torch is going around and it made its symbolic presence known in Taiwan on July 6th. That torch is the Tibetan Freedom Torch which began on March 10 the 49th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising for freedom from China. This torch has passed through 30 cities in 18 countries around the world before coming to Taiwan. ...

Taiwan's Human Rights Struggles, 1960--1980, a New Book

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:41:04 +0700

Anyone involved in the Civil Rights Movements in the United States would scoff at the suggestion that the South intended all along to give blacks equal opportunity. The South was just waiting for the right moment. Anyone who knows the struggles against apartheid in South Africa would scoff at the suggestion that the Afrikaners were also just simply waiting for the right moment to share power with the majority of the people. So too, anyone who knows Taiwan will laugh at implications that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was working hard to share power and to extend human rights to all citizens including the right to a representative two or more party system, the right to freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, the right to a fair trial etc. in sum the basic rights of a democracy. Against despotic, autocratic rulers who strive to cling to their self-justified power, privilege and sense of entitlement, such rights can only be won by the sacrifice and struggle of the people. The grass roots work involved in wringing such rights from the self-appointed elite in Taiwan, is the subject of a new book, "A Borrowed Voice, Taiwan Human Rights through International Networks, 1960--1980" written and edited by Linda Gail Arrigo and Lynn Miles, Hanyao Color Printing Co. 2008, Taipei. ...

A New Book on the Spanish Experience in Taiwan Coming Soon

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:54:02 +0700

Those interested in Taiwan's early encounters with the West and the outside world will be happy to know of a new book coming out this fall. The work, "The Spanish Experience in Taiwan 1626--1642: The Baroque Ending of a Renaissance Endeavor" by Jose Eugenio Borao of National Taiwan University is sponsored by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation and in line to be published by Hong Kong University Press. For researchers of Seventeenth Century Taiwan, this is an important and fascinating part of the Taiwan mosaic. Here we see Taiwan on the furthest reaches of the Spanish Empire with all the hopes, challenges and conflicts faced by the Spanish at that time. ...

Taiwan and the USA on Arms Sales with No One to Blame

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:02:48 +0700

The charade of the blame game goes on. Now that the United States State Department and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) cannot use Chen Shui-bian as a scapegoat for their problems and inadequacies; they don't know how to talk to each other. Case in point, Jason Yuan who is soon to be Taiwan's representative in Washington DC says his top priority will be to mend fences and rebuild trust; he followed this up by quoting President Ma Ying-jeou as saying countries should not "play games" with each other. Noble thoughts, so how are things working out between these two countries now that the KMT has absolute control of Taiwan's politics. Ironically, not so well, they have already fallen into playing "the game of not me." ...

Ma Ying-jeou Continues to Talk out of Both Sides of His Mouth

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:18:47 +0700

Ma Ying-jeou seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth again; how else does one match his words with his actions? Speaking at the graduation ceremony for the nation's five military schools, Ma put forth the following statements.

China remains the biggest threat to Taiwan's security.
We need to be well-prepared to defend ourselves.
Some of you may wonder whether China is our friend or foe. What you should do is to help us build a strong military force and be prepared for war.
Only by being prepared for war can we prevent it.

Be prepared! Now that sounds like a president who recognizes Taiwan's precarious situation and is ready for action. But wait, what about Ma's actions? ...

Book Review by Richard Kagan Ph.D. of "Taiwan, the Search for Identity"

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:15:32 +0700

The title of this book, "Taiwan: the Search for Identity," shares its name in whole and/or in part with over 220,000 published works in the Google.com list. If one were to just search for the sub-title, there would be another 4,736 identified publications. The topic of Taiwan's identity is one of the compelling issues of our time. I cannot overstate the fact that the issue of a nation's, culture's or individual's identity IS a global issue. It is much too parochial and narrow-minded to believe that it will be easily resolved or mediated by a simple resolution or formula.

The KMT Revives Memories of its Blacklist

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:19:51 +0700

Those who know Taiwan history, know well of the infamous blacklist created by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) during the period of White Terror. This list was used to suppress any form of dissent or challenges to the KMT's monopolistic rule and image. Its main purpose was intimidation and the victims were not only Taiwanese but even foreigners. Anyone who expressed a dissident view or took a dissident position was put on the list and banned from entering the country. Some were even listed because they checked out library books overseas that the KMT did not think proper. What many do not realize however, is that although martial law ended in 1987, the KMT continued to keep and update this blacklist for another five years until 1992. So now that democracy is finally here in Taiwan is all this past? Not on your life. ...

Are Ma and the KMT Betraying Taiwan?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:14:20 +0700

Recently the Pan-blue press has been trying to make a mountain out of a molehill in the Diaoyutai islands. There have been suggestions of war accompanied by jingoistic saber-rattling. In reality what may be involved is that Taiwan's President wants to distract the public from how much he has been kowtowing to China to hopefully gain some tourist dollars. In the Diaoyutai Affair, members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) seem more interested in trying to stake a weak claim at sovereignty over these rocks than protecting the sovereignty of their country. The extent to which these islands provide a platform for political posturing and distraction has been accented by the recent revelation that as far back as December, Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT had urged the United States to not provide Taiwan with the necessary arms to defend itself. They wanted to postpone arms sales indefinitely. Why? They were worried about offending the bully across the Strait and afraid China might keep them from fulfilling a campaign promise of Ma to bring in some China dollars. Such a principled president.

The Diaoyutais Incident: Ma Ying-jeou Fails the Action Test Once More

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:44:31 +0700

The Diaoyutais Islands are just a bunch of rocks and as such they would not be worth fighting over. What makes them valuable of course is the possibility that there may be oil below them; that plus the fact ownership would allow Taiwan, Japan or China (three claimants to the islands) to extend their territorial waters. So the collision on Tuesday of a Taiwanese fishing boat with a Japanese patrol vessel at that location has all the makings of an international incident. Now it is Friday, three days later and we still have yet to hear from Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou. Do we have a president? His silence is deafening. ...

Tiananmen, China, and What They Call Progress

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:01:14 +0700

The 19th anniversary of Tiananmen Square has come and gone. Over one hundred of those who led and participated in the demonstrations and were not killed are still prisoners languishing in jail. Wang Dan, an exiled leader clearly advocates that what was sought by the demonstration were greater rights for the people of China. He bemoans the fact that little has since been done to advance those rights. What is more, a surprising majority of the observers around the world have remained silent on these facts as they profited from China's cheap goods. Nineteen years later and nothing to show regarding this; this is unfortunate but true. Even more surprising, however is the fact that some have had the gall to write articles or express their opinion that China has made progress in recent years. Ma Ying-jeou, the president of Taiwan, a man with a platitude for every occasion is one of them. The question naturally follows, what sanctimonious criteria do these China praisers use to make such a claim? ...

The KMT's Questionable Sunshine Loyalty: When Will Taiwan Wake Up?

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:55:43 +0700

As outsiders and losers, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) came to Taiwan; it was only by force of arms that they took colonial rule over the island. They remained and kept a one-party state resisting attempts to democratize the island for close to a half a century. When they lost in elections, they threatened to take their ball (and the stolen state assets) and see what kind of a Quisling deal they could work out with China under China's terms of re-unification. Now it is also being revealed that they had more than one escape route to benefit them and their families. What route is that? Dual citizenship and green card status in the United States. ...

Ma Ying-jeou, the Excuses Keep Coming

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:54:14 +0700

There is more to being president than making promises and taking pictures. Does anyone remember Ma Ying-jeou's touted "long stay" in the south; the one where he spent a brief time with the people there to supposedly show his sympathy and understanding? That was the same stay that the infamous "farmer's daughter" incident came up and Ma's spin doctors tried to create a cultic image only to have it blow up in their faces. Well the touted long stay has turned into a short, very short memory. ...

1992--The Consensus That Never Was

Sun, 25 May 2008 08:36:01 +0700

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." These words of Paul Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister for Adolph Hitler come to mind each time someone mentions the 1992 Consensus, the alleged agreement between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This agreement holds that there is one China open to different interpretations; it implies that Taiwan is part of that one China. The '92 Consensus has been bandied about since Su Chi, then a KMT Straits Exchange Foundation official invented it in 2000. The most recent use of this made-up term came in the inaugural address of Taiwan's newly elected president Ma Ying-jeou. Why Ma still clings to this fabrication speaks volumes on his character, his lack of courage and leadership, and his modus operandi. ...

Ma Ying-jeou Begs China Not to Put Him on the Spot

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:26:07 +0700

Ma Ying-jeou has already said he won't honor his 6-3-3 campaign promise, now as KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung is preparing to lead a sixteen member delegation to China, Ma is worried. His request, ask the Chinese not to bring up the sovereignty question. Why? It is not just to keep the talks moving, Ma wants to keep the fudge factor that he depends upon so that he can speak out of both sides of his mouth. During his campaign for the presidency, Ma pledged that he would defend Taiwan's sovereignty to the end; so did Frank Hsieh. Now if a delegation from the DPP were going to China, there would be no question of where they stood on Taiwan's sovereignty. In Ma's case however, there is not. And he does want to be put on the spot of actually having to say to China that he and his party will defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Ma's solutiuon, please, don't bring the sovereignty subject up, I don't want to be forced to make a real life decision and committment. If he had to actually choose, then he could no longer keep his Mr. Nice Guy image. Sound familiar.

Taiwan Post Election Awards III

Sat, 24 May 2008 07:58:15 +0700

Prosecutor Wu Wen-chung qualified for numerous awards recently when he joked with reporters that Chen Shui-bian should be given the death sentence because the KMT accuses him of misues of his "state affairs" fund; this is all before Chen has even been questioned and before it has been decided whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. Award givers are debating which category Prosecutor Wu best fits. Is it the "Fair Play and Justice Befitting a Prosecutor" Award? Or the man most dedicated to the "Return of the KMT Thug Mentality" Award? Or the "Another Example of the Peter Principle and a Man Promoted Far Beyond His Capabilities" Award. Perhaps Prosecutor Wu deserves all three awards.

Taiwan Post Election Awards II

Fri, 23 May 2008 23:00:23 +0700

Diane Lee qualifies for the "Not Me" Award. Legislator Diane Lee states that she no longer holds US citizenship, because she became a legislator. However, US Citizenship requires that a person in such a position must write a formal letter for such. Someone needs to tell Diane that simply putting your US Passport in a drawer and using your Taiwan Passport for the duration does not qualify for giving up one's US citizenship. No formal letter has been produced. There is more however. ...

Taiwan Post Election Awards I

Fri, 23 May 2008 03:29:58 +0700

The inauguration of Ma Ying-jeou had barely finished when everyone began to show their true colors. A series of awards are thus in order. First of all, Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min got two awards. The first was the award for claiming expertise in a field totally foreign to one's training. At a briefing of the National Defense Committee he stated that Chen Shui-bian's stomach wounds were not caused by the 3/19 shooting in 2004. How did he know, well he did not have any proof to offer, but he just knew. Since what he was talking about happened in 2004, he also qualified to share the "Get Over It" Award. ...

Ma Ying-jeou, the Drama of it All

Mon, 19 May 2008 18:54:14 +0700

On the eve of his inauguration as President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou described his feelings as "treading on thin ice and standing on the edge of an abyss." How true. It is only natural that when you have promised everything to everyone, that sooner or later it sinks in that people will realize you cannot deliver. It is also only natural that when you have claimed to be what you are not that sooner or later more people will see through the two-faced pretense.

Can Ma Ying-jeou Hide the Cracks in the Facade?

Sun, 18 May 2008 06:53:11 +0700

Ma Ying-jeou's inauguration is near at hand; the visitors are arriving and the press will have their cameras out. To be sure his speech will be full of promises and more promises and will paint a rosy picture of the future but despite all that the cracks in the fa�ade are widening. First of course Ma's 6-3-3 pre-election promise (6 percent growth, 3 percent unemployment and an average income of NT$30,000 a month has already been abandoned. Almost immediately after his election the Pan-blue press began to make excuses as to why he might not fulfill this promise. Ma later confirmed these predictions. Taiwan's economic growth this past year was near 5.13 percent; it had averaged 4.1 percent between 2000 and 2003. The global average has generally been around 3.2 percent so Ma's promise to make Taiwan's growth to 6 percent was the first to fall. As for the other two promises, don't count on them either. ...

Inauguration Games

Sun, 18 May 2008 06:33:27 +0700

It appears that Frank Hsieh will not attend Ma Ying-jeou's inauguration; reason given is that Ma has already reneged on his campaign promises even before he has taken office. An extra unofficial reason may be that Hsieh was given the parking place with number 44--not an auspicious number. It makes me wonder who got that parking place in 2004 and in 2000? Nevertheless, our local English Pan-blue rag stated in an editorial that Hsieh's act was one of "sour grapes." Yet somehow, when Lien Chan after defeats in 2000 and 2004, boycotted the inauguration of Chen Shui-bian, Lien's acts were portrayed as noble and righteous. That's life in our political city.

China, Tibet, Feng-shui and More?

Sat, 17 May 2008 08:04:08 +0700

It may be post hoc reasoning, but with the problems of the Olympic Torch relay, the recent disasters in China, and in particular the earthquake in Sichuan Province, the Feng-shui masters and commentators in Taiwan have been having a field day on the airwaves. The first point taken focused on the bringing of the Olympic Torch to the top of Mount Everest. This upset the balance of nature and earth; Fire (the torch) should never be over water (the ice and snow on the mountain). Naturally the earth protested and hence the massive earthquake in Sichuan. Pride goeth before the fall. ...

China Says Let Bygones be Bygones, Of Course They Always Do

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:38:24 +0700

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

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:55:18 +0700

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

Sun, 04 May 2008 06:12:24 +0700

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 Voice' is 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

Sat, 03 May 2008 07:07:27 +0700

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

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:26:45 +0700

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

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:03:59 +0700

Ma Ying-joke is not yet president but people are already starting to see problems behind the fa�ade 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!

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:55:30 +0700

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

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:33:46 +0700

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

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:59:27 +0700

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"

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:07:32 +0700

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

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:59:16 +0700

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

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:52:42 +0700

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

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:52:54 +0700

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!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:27:08 +0700

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?

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:00:40 +0700

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

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:30:29 +0700

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

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:38:48 +0700

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!

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:46:20 +0700

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

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:01:43 +0700

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

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:13:56 +0700

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 "Naivet� versus savviness" and it did not end there. The opening paragraph read, "Come March 22, a na�f 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

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:31:54 +0700

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"

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:32:52 +0700

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

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:29:06 +0700

"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

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:44:55 +0700

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

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:13:44 +0700

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

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:35:39 +0700

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

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:33:06 +0700

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

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:51:57 +0700

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

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:27:48 +0700

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?

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:09:39 +0700

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"

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:54:16 +0700

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

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:28:53 +0700

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

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:45:11 +0700

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

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:39:26 +0700

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

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:56:11 +0700

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

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:02:27 +0700

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

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 05:27:14 +0700

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

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:26:33 +0700

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

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:15:31 +0700

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

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:13:09 +0700

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

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:21:28 +0700

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

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:43:37 +0700

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

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:19:32 +0700

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?

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 04:41:23 +0700

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

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:42:11 +0700

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?

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:12:07 +0700

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

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:33:14 +0700

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

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 05:09:49 +0700

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

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:12:51 +0700

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

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:57:27 +0700

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

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:59:12 +0700

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

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:23:43 +0700

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!

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:52:06 +0700

[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

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:54:13 +0700

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 Take' section 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

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:47:34 +0700

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

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 06:48:20 +0700

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

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:48:07 +0700

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

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:59:47 +0700

[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

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:53:36 +0700

[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

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:22:13 +0700

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?

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 05:01:56 +0700

[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

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:41:13 +0700

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

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:59:34 +0700

[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

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:43:28 +0700

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

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:00:00 +0700

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

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:54:23 +0700

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

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:18:34 +0700

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?

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:33:09 +0700

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

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:17:27 +0700

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

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:27:15 +0700

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

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:42:36 +0700

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

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:24:22 +0700

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!

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:21:27 +0700

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

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:16:26 +0700

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

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:00:59 +0700

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?

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:46:53 +0700

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

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:14:01 +0700

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

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:44:18 +0700

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

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:54:57 +0700

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

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:24:53 +0700

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

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:39:34 +0700

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

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:56:43 +0700

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

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:20:03 +0700

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

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 20:23:43 +0700

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

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:16:07 +0700

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

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:57:50 +0700

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?

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:33:04 +0700

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

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:16:53 +0700

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

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 05:17:22 +0700

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

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:42:35 +0700

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

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 05:27:05 +0700

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

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:48:31 +0700

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"

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:09:22 +0700

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?

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:18:48 +0700

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

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:41:37 +0700

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

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:07:28 +0700

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?

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:07:51 +0700

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

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:48:43 +0700

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

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:36:49 +0700

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.