Liberty Times published some choice quotes from Kuo Kuan-ying, the erstwhile GIO employee who outed himself as a raving bigot. A friend flipped me the translation of a few:Most people see being a half breed something to be ashamed of. The Taiwanese though are proud of it (The Great One [former gate inscription at CKS Memorial] on Half Breeds)In the Taipei Times today a letter writer pointed out that this is exactly the kind of eliminationist rhetoric that underpinned the Holocaust -- a point maddog made to me in a private email vis-a-vis the Rwandan genocide of a decade ago. The Liberty Times noted in its editorial today (translation from Feiren):
We are high class mainlanders! (Jiangcheng Circle)
Martial law was an example of benevolent administration by the government of that time. The Maokong Gondola doesn't have any problems. If it does, it is vandalism by Taiwanese independence activists. (Ma and Hau, Watch Out! Taiwanese Independence Elements will Destroy the Gondola)
The big problem with Demon Island [gui3dao3, = Taiwan] is that 'We can't get our logic straight because of idiots'. (Can We Allow Idiots to Get Logic Right?)
Weak countries do not have foreign relations. Since Taiwan is not a country, it is even less capable of having foreign relations (Foreign Relations Shame the Guest)
After China uses force to protect Taiwan [i.e. invades Taiwan], there cannot be any discussion of political liberalization. Taiwan will need to be locked down and purged for many years. (Taiwanese Hicks Need Dictatorship)
Demon Island [Taiwan] is a flasher who spends his whole day showing his dick in a dark alley. He even pays people to watch. As soon as the cops come, he runs away. ('Piss off!' On the Referendum to Join the UN)
There are 23 million people on this island of Taiwan. In general, 20 million of them are crazy [i.e. the native Taiwanese]. That's a low estimate. (Crazy Island)
Long live the great Communist Party of China! If it wasn't for the Communist Party's protection of the Republic of China, the Republic of China would have been finished long ago. (Repay the Country! Restore the Republic of China)
其實，一個郭冠英好處理，若是范蘭欽之類的種族歧視思想，已成為統治階級中極少數高級外省人的潛意識，則對台灣的主權與民主均將形成嚴重威脅與破壞。The Kuomintang News Network gave the KMT spin on events:
If Guo's ethnic prejudices have become part of the unconscious of the tiny minority of ruling mainlanders, it constitutes a serious threat and harm to Taiwan's sovereignty and democracy.
According to media analysis, since this incident had stirred up a sensitive communal issue in Taiwan, the DPP, of course, would not easily let the incident die down. The DPP recently began to call attention to President Ma Ying-jeou mainlander background, saying that it was exactly President Ma’s “mainlander arrogance” which Kuo’s derogatory comments revealed. Therefore, Wang Yu-chi, spokesman of the Presidential Office, held a press conference on behalf of President Ma, saying that the President found Kuo Kuan-ying’s comments and behavior “unacceptable.” Wang went on to say that President Ma had been working hard to eliminate communal conflicts between the people with different ancestral backgrounds in Taiwan, and that the President would not tolerate any civil servant making any remarks which may tear communal harmony apart.Note that it blames the victims -- the DPP was fanning the flames of communal strife, whereas if we could just forget about it, we'd all go back to living harmoniously together. This is a common theme -- "put the past behind us" -- meaning, of course, the crimes of the former ruling party. It would be a lot easier to put the past behind, if anyone had been punished for it, and if some of the alleged criminals weren't living out comfortable retirements or still enjoying positions of power.
Kuo, according to local news reports, did his thesis on the Communist Party back at Political University when it was still a political warfare school. In those days there was a quota that limited the number of Taiwanese entrants to the universities, meaning that Kuo got his position due to the privileges of his "ethnic" identity. Like any colonialist state, the KMT denied its subjects full participation in society, while simultaneously scorning them for not having the education and economic opportunities it had denied them in the first place.
Meanwhile, as of this posting at 9:20 pm, the top ten general headlines on the KNN news site are:
GIO Dismisses Kuo Kuan-yingYes, Chen Shui-bian is still the centerpiece of the KMT news world. I hope they keep up this classy attitude -- just as Hsieh's outmoded formulaic appeals to voters failed in the 2008 Presidential election, so A-bian's money laundering case may well have a sell-by date, especially with the economic news so prominent in everyone's minds.
National Security Bureau Admits Having Helped Ah-Bian Move Money
Daily Changing of the Guard Ceremony Returns to the Two Chiang Mausoleums
Chen Shui-bian Named Defendant in “Secret Diplomacy” Cases
SIU Prosecutor Wu: Ah-Bian as Machiavellian as Ma Zedong
Government Intends to Ease Labor Strike Laws
Control Yuan Investigates SIU for Not Barring Huang from Leaving Country Soon Enough
Leading Semiconductors Manufacturers to End Furloughs
Ma Ying-jeou Says ECFA Could Be Signed in Second Half of This Year
Former Presidential Cashier: No Southern Front Diplomatic Project Ever Existed
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Ma's take on ethnic issues seems to be: We are all Chinese by nationality, just different types of Chinese (i.e. Aboriginal Chinese, Hakka Chinese, Min Nan Chinese etc...), so put ethnic divisions aside.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the ROC has made it the state's job to invent and define what constitutes "Chinese" culture and ethnicity so that there is an imbalance in access to state power. The state structure allows those who identify more closely with the state's definition to receive more access to the state as they are more "trustworthy". Those who the ROC structure puts closest to power have traditionally been the Waishengren like Kuo, who are not in need of "reform" and "tutelage".
With the Nation tied so closely with constructed histories, constructed high culture and state constructed ethnicities, Ma's solution will maintain the gap between the civilizer and the "object" of their project. We saw this before in Ma's comments to a group of Aborigines during the election where he was going to "teach" them how to live in the city. A very revealing look into the mind of Ma the KMT ideologue.
All it would take is for those KMT bigwigs to come out and condemn the language and completely dissociate themselves from it. If they did that, the DPP couldn't say anything about them.
ReplyDeleteIt was a hilarious seen in Taipei. An election rally for Jiang Nieshin, the KMT candidate in the Daan district, running to replace disgraced KMT legislator Lee Ching-an. Who shows up? Hau "Who's My General Daddy?" Longbin. Liu "Who's My General Daddy?" Zhaoshuan. Chu "Who's My Politican Daddy?" Lilun.
Hau comes out apologizes for the whole Kuo incident. All waisheng. All recipients of privilege and inordinate opportunity under the KMT authoritarian government. All sons of KMT bigwigs.
Does the KMT lack a sense of irony?
The fact is that democracy worked here. Kuo has been removed because the KMT have to stand for election. You can expect extreme opinions to be expressed over any issue and political factions will exploit this as much as they can. That even the KMT had eventually to respond to public opinion points out that the reforms beginning in 1987 are working the way they're supposed to.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I was going to write about the KMT turning it all back on the DPP.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that the reason Su said led to the decision to sack Kuo was that Kuo had been inconsistent in his words and his behaviour when he came back was unacceptable. It had nothing to do with his writing or his attitudes...
I hope Kuo gets the medical treatment he so clearly needs.
ReplyDeleteThis guy reminds me of Bevin Chu.
ReplyDeleteKuo Kuan-ying is a hero and history will prove him right.
ReplyDeleteWhile drawing a handsome salary, which enabled him to settle his family comfortably in North America, he was writing hateful essays --on "company time"-- about the very people who were paying his salary. So, who was he representing for those 25 years?? Obviouly not the Taiwanese people. He got 25 years of salary for pretending to represent Taiwan. The Taiwanese people were paying for his North American home and his childrens’ education…while he was busy condemning the hard-won democracy and civil society that has come about since the end of martial law. If he hates Taiwan that much, then why doesn't he immediately give up his ROC citizenship, and any benefits related to citizenship?
ReplyDeleteWho shows up? Hau "Who's My General Daddy?" Longbin. Liu "Who's My General Daddy?" Zhaoshuan. Chu "Who's My Politican Daddy?" Lilun.----
ReplyDeletewell. in France people says: "when it comes to such elitist situation its time to test our guillotine." i agree with that. aside that i will bet all those kids have dirty teenage time and there are many prostitutions and corruption in their backwards. all what you have is just to dig it out.
The fact is that democracy worked here. Kuo has been removed because the KMT have to stand for election.--
ReplyDeletemore like Canadians and other international politicans started to ask themselfes: who at the fuck is this chinese?
"Kuo Kuan-ying is a hero and history will prove him right."
ReplyDeleteWell... I guess that depends on whose history you choose to read, now doesn't it.
"Most people see being a half breed something to be ashamed of. The Taiwanese though are proud of it."
ReplyDeletePerhaps this inbred bastard should tell Obama that he should be ashamed of himself for being a half-breed.
I don't know if you exploited this irony--Kuo invoked freedom of speech as defense for his offensive and hate speech, one of them wishing for Taiwan to become subjugated under PRC's Facsism, under which there would not be any freedom of speech to speak of.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteThat is very astute of you.
Many of the old ROC Chinese fled to the US or Canada and remained staunch supporters of Chiang kai sheck, while enjoying the freedoms and liberties of democratic countries.
Today, the ROC spends millions of dollars on these people, some of whom have never even been to Taiwan. They are even allowed representation in the legislature based on their ancestry as former ROC residents in China.
Although they spent decades denying the succession of states, now that it is clear they are dying out and their children assimilating, they want to hasten China's annexation of Taiwan before it is too late.