Ma announcing a presidential bid after getting indicted for corruption? That's like getting caught in bed cheating by your wife, and then inviting her to have a threesome! -- tart comment found in my email inbox.The fawning and crying over Ma yesterday had its lighter moments. As I sat in our usual haunt eating soup and watching TVBS, a sequence showing the Savior of the KMT giving blood at some point during the day was shown. Local media was all over this key story, showing him sitting in the chair (good advert for blood giving, I strongly approved), but also showing closeups of the bag of blood with its medical information, and the doctors discussing every tiny detail. Thank god the newest candidate for president hadn't given a stool sample.
On the evening of the indictment the KMT showed its continuing commitment to corrupt government by convening an emergency meeting to lift the prohibition on indicted members running for President. The Taiwan News reported that the measure was opposed by Jason Hu, Mayor of our fair hamlet of Taichung, and by the representatives from the Wang Jin-pyng camp. Wang, the legislative speaker, is Ma's chief rival in the KMT. This little tidbit was what really cracked me up:
Juan Kang-meng (阮剛猛), chairman of the KMT's Evaluation and Discipline Committee, said the membership of Hsinchu County Magistrate Cheng Yung-ching and Legislator Chang Chang-tsai, both of whom had violated the clause, would be reinstated.
Not only did the KMT make itself out to be completely hypocritical, they also brought back into the party people even they had kicked out for corruption. I'm curious to see how this affects the problem of the KMT Mayor of Keelung, who was both indicted and convicted for problems relating to bogus land deals, but whom the KMT has been strangely reluctant to move against (didn't see that in the international media reports on the pious "anti-corruption" campaign). Readers may recall that Ma took some fire for his support of that politician.
Early call: the key gainer from the indictment? None other than Ma Ying-jeou himself. As we saw with the Chen Shui-bian family indictments, core support has rallied around Ma. Ma's move to announce his Presidential candidacy the day of the indictment was brilliant. He's pre-empted everyone else, placed himself in the front-runner position, exploited the focus on the indictment for maximum publicity, made everyone forget that his position is that he is guilty but ignorant, and psychologically, made the effect of the indictment shrink. Whoever is handling Ma did a bang-up job with that move. Now instead of competing for the Presidential nomination, whoever announces next is in the psychological position of having to dislodge Ma from the driver's seat.
The anti-Ma side also was another big gainer. There've been mutterings from below about a ticket with Lien Chen on it -- they will only get louder. Wang Jin-pyng's stock also rose, but ultimately Wang is a Taiwanese in a party whose core support is anti-Taiwanese (Taipei Times article on Wang supporters complaining about party rule change to support Ma). They will never accept Wang as a President, remembering how Lee Teng-hui "betrayed" them by supporting Taiwan. A Lien-Wang ticket is not out of reach, but it will be hard. The possibility of a Lien-Ma or Ma-Lien ticket, however, has risen. At some point someone may recall that Ma is only 58 this year, and that "Chairman for Life" Lien deserves to be President.
Ah, the future. What happens if Ma is convicted?
[Taiwan] [China] [Chen Shui-bian] [media] [corruption] [Ma Ying-jeou]
5 comments:
Ahhh, 阮剛猛... people used to make fun of him when he was Changhua County Commish because his name sounds like 軟肛門, or "Soft Asshole".
One thing about Ma is that he's learned how to play the KMT game. Its amazing how he can stand and smile next to moneybags Wang and ground-kisser Lein, two people that are out to stab him in the back at the first opportunity they get.
Funny how "retired" Lien says he wants to be a peacemaker when it is he and his faction that are causing all the problems to begin with. It’s also amusing to read that he says Ma has limited the negotiating space. What is there to negotiate? Ma wants to be prez, not VP. There is nothing to negotiate. He is the only person the KMT has that can possibly beat the DPP.
When it comes to the core values of the KMT, I am reminded of a Oct05 TaipeiTimes OpEd piece:
"Because at a philosophical level Lee's opponents hold the US and its ideals in high and barely disguised contempt, despite the formidable number of them that sucked on the teat of the American education system and whose very survival in this place has been paid for over the decades by the US military. To this day, deep inside the heart of the unificationist ideologue,
there lives derision toward the barbaric West and a longing for the time when the center of a true civilization -- Beijing,
presumably -- can return to its rightful place as the capital of not the Middle Kingdom, as it is usually mistranslated, but
the Central Kingdom."
http://tinyurl.com/3dr3ec
I think Ma buys into this philosophy somewhat, which is why he fits in at the KMT fringes, but he is not corruptible like
Wang, which is why the China lovers don't accept him. How can they wheel and deal away the future of Taiwan if the leader isn't on the take? There is no profit in it for them.
*Also agree with you on your ~ bring the breakfast, kiss-ass the teacher, schoolyard bully comment about Ma in another post.
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How can they wheel and deal away the future of Taiwan if the leader isn't on the take? There is no profit in it for them.
Are you kidding me?! Ma will sell out Taiwan faster than you can say Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan. He hasn't exactly shown himself to have a lot of integrity with repect to doing what's best for "Taiwan" lately.
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StopMa,
You know, I dislike Ma probably as much as you do, but i try to base my opinion on facts, not just blind hatred.
Ma has stated his basic principle is unification with china if/when china is democratic ~which of course is a (opium) pipe dream because the CCP doesn't plan on giving up it's power anytime soon, but regardless, I don't think he will "sell out" Taiwan as fast as you can say.....Lien or Soong..! It will just take him a bit longer for more powerful/cunning people to hoodwink him into giving away the keys to the fort. (or a US financial meltdown that doesn't give any party any choice)
What bugs me most about Ma besides being spineless, is that deep down, i think he is a racist guy just like many blue party members. (some green people too, its not exclusive).
Add:
Semi-related tidbit...its funny how the ChinaPost often plays with semantics in their stories. I just happen to come across today's paper at my travel agent this morning and had to laugh at this:
http://tinyurl.com/2tva8o
"Analysts said that Wang, a sophisticated and versatile political leader who has befriended leaders in all political departments and factions for decades.....Wang holds another huge advantage over Ma among local voters in rural regions due to his status as a descendant of earlier immigrants to Taiwan from China, while Ma is a new settler."
>Why can't they just call the guy what he is, Taiwanese. He was born here, not China.
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taipeimarc,
It's not a "pipedream", it's a lie.
Why do I think that? Not out of "blind hatred" as you think I have towards him (I just simply feel he will be a disaster for Taiwan on multiple levels). His thoughts and actions are frequently inconsistent and illogical with his stated goals at election time. This, to me, is a sign that he is not telling the truth and cannot be trusted.
And why do you say that it is a "hoodwinking" to give away the keys to the fort? I think this would be completely consistent with Ma's desires for power and control.
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