Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Taiwan News Rips on Ma's Weakness

First, the bare news as reported in the China Post, the pro-KMT English paper:

Honorary Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan urged his own party yesterday to decide in time to boycott the two upcoming referendums on Taiwan's admission to the United Nations.

Speaking at a tea reception at Ma Ying-jeou's presidential campaign headquarters, Lien said he wants the Kuomintang to make a decision in time to abort the referendums scheduled to take place alongside the March 22 presidential election.

"Don't let the referendums get hitched with the election," Lien said.

The paper reported that Ma Ying-jeou, the Presidential candidate, would abide by the decision of the Central Standing Committee of the KMT if they decided to boycott based on Lien's "suggestion."

Taiwan News came out with another one of its excellent editorials on this, observing that it shows who will really be running Taiwan if Ma is elected President:

The ringing demand by Kuomintang honorary chairman Lien Chan Sunday that the KMT and its presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou must carry out another boycott of two referenda scheduled to be held with the March 22 presidential election answers the question of who will be the real "masters" of the Taiwan government under a restored KMT rule if Ma "wins back Taiwan."

In response to Lien's thunderous demands, the KMT presidential candidate meekly mumbled that he would "respect the decision of the Central Standing Committee," which KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung promised will be issued, with rationalizations, on or before March 12.
After discussing the immorality of the KMT position and its harm to the development of genuine popular democracy in Taiwan, the editorial goes on to observe:
Lien, who is clearly quite comfortable with such a result, is also sending a ringing message on behalf of both reactionaries in the KMT with the approval of the CCP that the KMT in power will never allow the 23 million Taiwan people to hold a genuine referendums again.

Decisions that will determine our national destiny, such as whether to join in a "one China" common market or to formally unify with the PRC, will be decided solely by the KMT and will not be subject to ratification by our people.

Ma's passivity also shows that it will be Lien and the former mainlander power elite who will actually control the Taiwan government through their grip over the KMT Legislative caucus and the reins of executive power.

Hence, Lien's forcefulness and Ma's meekness on the referendums issue is a sign of things to come for the Taiwan people if they allow Ma and the KMT to "win back Taiwan."

We need entertain no doubts about the answer to the question of who will rule Taiwan under a restored KMT government: "President" Ma will be little more than a puppet for Lien Chan and the KMT mainlander power elite, while their strings will in turn be pulled by whomever happens to be the master of Zhongnanhai.

And as for the Taiwan people if they return the KMT to power?

The message for us will be the same as delivered by former PRC World Health Organization envoy Sha Zukan, namely: "Who cares about you?"
This referendum boycott might well be stage managed so that the opprobrium for boycotting its own referendum -- in support of which it solicited hundreds of thousands of signatures in Taiwan, as cynical a political ploy as was ever foisted on the long suffering Taiwanese -- that opprobrium falls on Lien rather than on Ma. But that means Ma, perhaps the tallest invertebrate in Taiwan, whose weakness is a frustration even to his own followers, was given a script that gave him not the slightest room to register a protest. Any way you cut this, Ma's weakness stands out. Here's hoping the DPP can take advantage of Ma's lack of spine before it is too late.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

But that means Ma, perhaps the tallest invertebrate in Taiwan, whose weakness is a frustration even to his own followers

Considering this anonymous editorial could perhaps either be written, typed, or translated by the fattest gringo pig that I have ever seen, someone needs to tone down the name calling. Offended? You don't have to publish this comment Michael. Don't forget Ma beats Lien backed Wang in KMT chairmanship and presidential candidacy. Ma isn't that much of a push over as you think.

And talk about who is going to rule Taiwan. If Ma win, would Chen give up power peacefully? He is shuffling a lot of top military personnels recently. Maybe all your hardcore pro-greens should all jumping off a cliff (not ocean; got the joke?). Of course, based on you guys these things will never happen, since Ma will not win, and Chen really don't have to declare a military emergency.

Michael Turton said...

Arty, can you give examples of principled stands Ma has taken?

Also, the idea that Chen won't lay down his office and instead engage in military action is laughable.

Michael

Anonymous said...

Here's a name for you, Arty: Troll. Get back under your bridge.

skiingkow said...

.
.
.
Pandama buckles on yet another issue?!

Shocking, I tells ya! Shocking!!

Arty, I could tell you about the story about Pandama and the wet paper bag, but I'll have mercy on your ignorance (feigned or not).
.
.
.

Anonymous said...

You only boycott an election if you think you are going to lose. It's the ultimate expression of contempt to popular will.

Anonymous said...

Michael:

Never argue with idiots; they’ll bring you down to their level and then beat you on experience.

Anonymous said...

http://tinyurl.com/32e4b5

Got it?

Anonymous said...

I don't imagine Ma will display much leadership on the domestic level, which why I wrote that "Reign of the 81 Tyrants" post a while back.

Evidence of The Handsome One's weakness could not have been made more apparent than by his limp-wristed response to calls for Chen's recall. As I remember, Ma was initially opposed to the recall, on the eminently sensible grounds that the Blues just didn't have the numbers to see the thing through to its completion.

Sure didn't take much for him to change his mind. Just a little flak from own side - Deep Blues calling him a cowardly little girly-man for not being man enough to "pull the trigger", and that sort of thing.

So, on the question of Ma being a walking invertebrate (a description of his CHARACTER, not his appearance), we seem to have achieved that rarest of things in Taiwanese politics: a bipartisan consensus.