2010 - 2nd Quarter
Part II, Deconstructing Taiwan's Past in Search of its Identity
When a colonizing nation approaches an imagined geography and seeks to impose its imagined community on that geography/colony, a natural Hegelian dialectic develops. The colonizer imposes its sense of imagined community; the colonized already possessing their own sense of imagined community (if even subconsciously) resist in a dynamic process. The result is a hybrid or different identity. One can ask, ...
Deconstructing Taiwan's Past in Search of Its Identity Part I
A pressing problem for Taiwan in today's world remains finding an answer to the question, "What does it mean to be Taiwanese?" Put in a different way, "What is Taiwan's national identity?" To be sure there are other pressing or immediate problems, such as the economy, the threat of attack by the People's Republic of China, and the preservation and ...
Taiwan Hosts Film "Formosa Betrayed" and Historical Musical, "Days of Bananas"
This past week in Taiwan had a combined sense of dßjà vu as art, history, and reality all came to bear. On Monday there was a private showing of Will Tiao's film "Formosa Betrayed" which portrayed how the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as late as the 1980s, tried to suppress democracy and human rights movements on the island; in the ...
ECFA! It's More than Trade; It's a Matter of Ma's Credibility and Competency
Any fool nation can sign a trade agreement with China if it gives China everything it wants. The question of ECFA is not a matter of trade with China; that is a no-brainer. The question is how and under what circumstances and conditions. In Taiwan's case it is even more; it is a question of the competency and credibility of ...
Tired of the Double Standard of Justice Under the KMT? Wait There is More.
The Double Standard of Justice and Prosecution that harkens back to the days of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Martial Law era has returned to Taiwan with the administration of Ma Ying-jeou. Yes, we know that Ma keeps chanting the mantra that he is anti-corruption and the gullible western media sources continue to lap it up. Unfortunately they have always ...
The KMT, Taichung, Crime and Corruption: Do They Still Go Hand in Hand?
It read like something out of the "Godfather" movie series. There they were in the middle of the afternoon of a working day, four of Taichung's finest police officers (with alleged gangland ties) having tea at the offices of another well-known boss of questionable repute, Weng Chih-nan. All of a sudden a gunman burst in and fired off sixteen shots. ...
Kuo Kuan-ying, Remember that High-Class KMT Mainlander?
The long arm of the law finally caught up with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kuo Kuan-ying as he was sentenced to either pay a small fine (NT$ 50,000) or serve 50 days in jail for defaming National Taiwan Univ. professor Chen Shih-meng and political commentator Chin Heng-wei. Kuo if you have forgotten was a KMT government official serving in Toronto ...
An Open Letter by Academics and Professionals to the Speaker of the Legislative Yuan
No one is against trade with China, but Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou continues to insist that ECFA (the economic cooperation framework agreement) be signed in June. He does this despite the fact that all dealings and have been non-transparent and without consultation, circumventing the checks and balance of the Legislative Yuan (LY) i.e. the Legislative Branch of the government. This ...
Thinning the Herd Beijing Style: So Why Does Ma Keep Pushing Taiwan Towards Unification?
In the past few years, the international media has been filled with plenty of stories of how the Middle Kingdom of Pollution, Poison and Propaganda has sent out deadly products such as poisoned toothpaste, poisoned pet foods, poisoned toys rife with lead-based paint etc. etc. The world has been shocked, but not enough to give up the quest of the ...
Taiwan, Will the ECFA Early Harvest be the Early Shaft?
May 20 will mark the official two year anniversary of Ma Ying-jeou's inauguration as President of Taiwan. And while this is the half-way point of his four years as president, people are wondering what has he done? From the mishandling of Typhoon Morakot, to the erosion of justice, to the beef scandal, to the claims that Chinese tourists would rescue ...
Taiwan's Double Standard, Money, Money, Who's Got the Money? Part II: Those Friggin Frigates
It reads like a John le Carre spy-thriller. The ingredients are all there. Billions of dollars for military hardware-here read French Lafayette Frigates. The staggering amount for bribes and payoffs alone reaches well over US$600 millions of dollars. Even the PRC military got in on the action and were paid well not to protest France selling these ships to Taiwan. ...
Taiwan's Double Standard: Money, Money, Who's Got the Money Part I?
In a previous post you saw how Chen Shui-bian has been in jail for nearly two years on corruption charges concerning US$21 million from his eight years of presidency. The courts have yet not stated and/or proved just how much of that money is illegal and how much is rightfully his, according to the loose and vague laws concerning campaign ...
Do You Know Where Ma Ying-jeou Stands on the Boundaries of Taiwan?
By a strange confluence of events, the day after I spoke with Chen Shui-bian, I attended a conference by Ma and shook hands with him afterwards. At Ma's conference on ECFA, In an effort to get him on record, I had asked him about the boundaries of the ROC as he saw them. ...
A Visit with Former President Chen Shui-bian Raises Questions on Taiwan's Double Standard of Justice
Former President Chen Shui-bian has been in jail for over 500 days on corruption charges while others found guilty of the same and other crimes were never jailed and walk free. Those walking free are from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People's First Party (PFP); Chen is from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Chen has been denied the human ...
Taiwan, a Tale of Two Presidents
This week started in an unusual way. On Monday, I visited former President Chen Shui-bian where he is being held in prison. On Tuesday, I shook hands with current President Ma Ying-jeou after he had explained his position on ECFA to the Taiwan Foreign Correspondent's Club. Two different men, two different situations; I will write on both shortly. ...
The Great ECFA Debate: Excuses Before It Begins
The great ECFA debate between Ma Ying-jeou and Tsai Ing-wen looms. Ironically after two years of Ma telling Taiwan that it was absolutely crucial for its survival, Ma's staff is crying that he has only had two hours to prepare. Say what? Something that Ma claims is crucial for the country but he only has two hours to spare??? He ...
In Search of Taiwan Minzu: the First Step, Seeing What it is Not
Nothing exemplifies Ma Ying-jeou's lack of identity with and/or grasp of what it is to be Taiwanese than his constant attempts to push Zhonghua minzu on the Taiwanese. Ma mentioned the words repeatedly in his 2008 inaugural address, and now as he constantly pursues his pro-China agenda; it is part and parcel of his agenda. The truth of the matter ...
Taiwan as the World Turns: the Credibility of Ma Continues to Erode
Taiwan got another taste of the duplicity of Ma-speak yesterday. The day before President Ma's Premier, Wu Den-yih, stated flatly that Ma never opposed having a referendum on ECFA. The next day, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of which Ma is the chairperson and which has the controlling majority in the Legislative Yuan flatly blocked for the sixth time the ...
ECFA, Another Insult from the People that Gave Taiwan 6-3-3
Only a complete dunce totally of touch with Taiwan's reality would claim ignorance of Ma Ying-jeou's infamous 6-3-3 promise in all its foolhardy glory. This campaign promise of the 2008 presidential elections came about when Ma's so-called A-Team of economic advisors told him that 6-3-3 was easily achievable and he should have no fear of promising it. It was of ...
Taipei Police Need to Realize They are not the Beijing Police
Anyone who has watched the antics of the Taipei police in the past year and a half would think that they are trying to imitate and/or curry favor with Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou. In that time, Ma has of course been trying to curry favor with the People's Republic of China (PRC). Whether Ma's efforts reflect a secret desire to ...
ROC Splendid 100, Who is Paying for This Reinterpretation of Splendid?
"Republic of China Splendid 100" so reads Ma Ying-jeou's Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed new slogan for Taiwan. Splendid and for Taiwan? How so? When the Republic of China (ROC) allegedly was founded in 1911, Taiwan had already been modernizing since 1895 and was some fifteen years on its way to becoming Japan's model colony to the world. On the ...