Ma Ying-jeou, indicted embezzler and alleged student spy, said something quite interesting yesterday while attacking President Chen:While urging the government to focus its efforts on taking care of public livelihood, Ma promised to work on improving the domestic economy and to push for social harmony if elected as president.
"More than 23,00 people commit suicide every year, but the government only cares about tearing down the walls surrounding CKS hall," Ma said while attending a ceremony to celebrate the founding of his group of supporters in Jhonghe City (
中和 ).As the group vowed to spare no effort in helping Ma win the elections next year, Ma, who declared his candidacy early last month, pledged to demonstrate his determination in pursuing the presidency and seeking a solution to the nation's plight.
Why the mention of suicide? The actual figure, around 4,800, is not really the issue. The claim that Chen's mismanagement of the economy and society has incited Taiwanese to kill themselves is actually a standard KMT propaganda claim. The KMT has a problem: the first two leaders, Chiang Kai-shek and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo, were out and out murderers. The Party killed tens of thousands in Taiwan, and millions on the mainland. This is a hard reputation to live down.
Nevertheless, it is trying. How? As Christian Schafferer points out in a recently given paper, during the anti-Chen campaign of last fall, the Hong Kong rag Yazhou Zhoukan ran a cover story that claimed that 16,000 had committed suicide over the years of the Chen Administration, and that this score exceeded the numbers rung up by the KMT during the White Terror years on Taiwan. The suicide claim is not an isolated claim designed to make Chen take the blame for Taiwan's complex economic problems. It is a deeper claim aimed at whitewashing the KMT for its crimes against humanity and stemming the tide of justice for just a little longer.
[Taiwan] [KMT] [DPP] [Hong Kong] [2-28] [suicide] [Chen Shui-bian]
There is truth to the mouthings of Ma about suicide rates related to the loss of KMT power.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who are deeply religious and who consider the culture brought to Taiwan by the KMT to be the bedrock of all things good and wonderful. They are saddened to the point of deep depression over A-bian's government.
These same people find no solace in Taiwan's emerging democracy. To them it is destructive of their culture.
Taiwan's suicide rate is tied to KMT and student's both of whom are disappointed in a world not geared for their pursuits.
I have never, ever heard anyone who uses the argument about the number of suicides in Taiwan these days actually say they in any way participate in trying to research, understand, or ameliorate the problem. I have never heard it put in the proper context (past suicide rates, local contexts--Philippines, Japan, China, HK, South Korea etc.) It's pretty despicable, really. People in need of help are dying, and pan-Blues are using them as a political tool while not actually doing anything for any of these people. THIS is what you call just doing it for an election. No real action yourself, but criticizing the opposition over it.
ReplyDeleteWhats most depressing is the constant boneheaded, moronic and ignorant statements coming from the kmt and their clueless followers. With so much negativity and anger spouting from their pea brains, yeah, its easy enough to see why anyone wants to commit suicide in this country.
ReplyDeletecygihI recall an editorial in a Nov 2006 edition of the China Post that claimed that the suicide rate had risen because "the people have lost hope" due to A-Bian. I've had Taipei taxi drivers tell me the same thing. I'd like to know what data they are using to make these claims - it's absurd.
ReplyDeleteOne angry university student in Taipei told me that the economy was suffering badly because of A-Bian. When I asked one simple question, "Which sector is suffering the most?", the topic quickly changed.
I, for one, question the notion that the north is more highly educated than the south. But, I suppose that just depends on your definition of 'educated'. Having a higher education and being an independent thinker don't necessarily go hand in hand.
I guess the KMT has nothing substantial to attack A-bian with, thus they pull out every and any petty little thing that they can think of.
ReplyDeleteYes, the most depressing thing is probably the stupid and irrelevant things spewing out of KMT and their fellowers' mouth.
Looks like the ppl in need of a psychiatric treatment are those fellowers. They are brainwashed but don't even realise they are. They are obviously suffering from delusions when they fervently claim that they are "neutral".