The UN Snubs Taiwan Again: Who is the Joke of Ma Ying-joke On?

Friday November 20, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

With the recent revelation of the United Nations past snubbing of Taiwan (it rejected in June the two human rights covenants signed by Ma Ying-jeou), the pitiful saga of Taiwan's President Ma continues. It is no wonder that many continue to call him Ma Ying-joke, for despite this and numerous other humiliations, Ma still claims that his China-friendly, China-centric policy is working. But the question or joke for Taiwanese is that it is working for what? This particular snubbing was in June for example, yet Taiwan's public has only been made aware of it now. If the policy is working, why the cover up until now?

That Ma, (a.k.a. as Little Boy Ma to some) continues to live in his make believe wonderland is no surprise; he has done it all his life. Living in the land of make believe is second nature to one who needs to live on image. The press says he is a Harvard-educated lawyer; don't dissuade them with the reality that he never passed the bar exam in the United States, Taiwan or anywhere. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) says he was a model student; don't read that that he was a campus spy in the USA and his reports ruined the lives of many Taiwanese students. That was, as Ma says, "another time."

That he comes from a noble KMT family; don't press too far into how his father abused his adopted daughter. That he was a great mayor of Taipei; ignore the Maokong Gondola, the MRT failures, the Nanking West Circle and all the other failures etc. Ma is just not appreciated; his older sisters have always told him he is a good little boy.

The infamous 6-3-3 promise and misread of the world financial situation? Did he believe it or was it a campaign promise to gullible Taiwanese? He says we have to wait until we have had eight years of him. Of course by that time he will be long gone and who knows what Taiwan's situation will be.

Typhoon Morakot, well that of course was the weatherman's fault, or the weather or the premier; it should not have rained so much when Ma was focusing on his image. The great influx of high-spending Chinese to rescue Taiwan's economy? Unfortunately they never lived up to the promised numbers nor did they spend that much. So are Ma's policies working? Even in the land of make believe it is hard to come up with a feasible answer.

With these and Taiwan's repeated international snubbing, we return again to the UN and Ma's claim that his China-friendly, China-centric policies are working. Ignore the fact that once again, the UN, China and many others are trampling Taiwan's image in the mud. Rationalization is Ma's forte. If asked he would say, "My policies are working, they trampled our image in the mud again, but at least they did not spit on us this time." What will it take Taiwan to wake up?