Morning Edition, August 8, 2006 · Impeachment proceedings against the president of Taiwan have begun. Chen Shui-bian was the first opposition leader to win the office after the island began holding presidential elections a decade ago. Taiwan was ruled by founder Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party up until Chen took office.
I think it is slightly misleading to describe Chiang as "founder" when he was only a founding member of the KMT. It is a short piece, cites Emile Sheng, the political scientist whose quotes always find their way into anti-Chen pieces, and has an excerpt from the speech of Fan Yun, a sociologist who was one of the leaders of the "pan-Green" academics who called for Chen to step down.
[Taiwan] [Chen Shui-bian] [Emile Sheng]
Man, how many things can Beijing-based Anthony Kuhn get totally wrong in such a short piece?! Could someone truly that ignorant actually gain access to Emile Sheng on his own? Or y'think there were ulterior motives?
ReplyDeleteActually, it's not clear here what he's saying CKS is the "founder" of. The KMT? Taiwan? Black gold? The possibilities are many.
That student in the "report" who said he couldn't stand Chen Shui-bian "anymore" -- does he expect me to believe that he supported Chen at some time in the past? I don't buy it for a minute.
Fan Yun's crap about "democracy" meaning "taking turns" is also too much to handle. The pan-blues have been crying for the DPP to "give back [their] ball" since the 2000 election, and now Fan Yun's their friggin' cheerleader. "Green academic," my ass!
Most importantly, have any such "impeachment proceedings" actually begun, or is it still merely pan-blue invective?
Tim Maddog
Hmmm, I'm divided on how Kuhn stumbled across Emile Sheng. But you can easily find him on the net, so Kuhn just may have arrived and contacted him. I know what you mean -- I just started laughing when I heard his name. It reminded of the time John Pomfret flew in from Beijing and wrote and article on James Soong, the "democratic reformer," published in WaPo. ROFL. When are the news services going to send us someone here full time? Here we are, the 10th largest trading partner of the US, and a potential flashpoint for a war, and what do we get? Forays into the savage Formosa from Beijing.... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThat student in the "report" who said he couldn't stand Chen Shui-bian "anymore" -- does he expect me to believe that he supported Chen at some time in the past? I don't buy it for a minute.
LOL.
Fan Yun's crap about "democracy" meaning "taking turns" is also too much to handle. The pan-blues have been crying for the DPP to "give back [their] ball" since the 2000 election, and now Fan Yun's their friggin' cheerleader. "Green academic," my ass!
I know. Democracy does not mean taking turns. It means playing fair and seeing who can win the election and proffer right policies that the public accepts. Nobody "deserves" an elected office -- it gets earned.
I wonder if there is something fundamental in Chinese culture going on here....I sense a blog post.