How is the feud between Taiwan’s pro-communist parties like the 7th century split between the Sunnis and Shiites? An interesting post by Michael Turton on the subject. The comparisons are maybe a little more than metaphorical, because let’s face it: for some folks, politics IS a kind of religion.
Category: Taiwanese Politics
Local Elections in Taiwan
Local elections were held yesterday, and the main pro-communist party won 14 out of 23 districts. The main anti-communist party, which had long prided itself on its incorruptibility, was hurt at the polls by a number of scandals. It won only 6 districts.
What this means for the future is difficult to discern. In the short run, the pro-communists on the national level are likely to view this as a mandate for more of the same: closer relations with China and continued stalling of the special arms bill. In the longer term, if they push their policies too far, they may face rejection by the electorate.
For now though, the pro-communist parties are feeling their oats, as well they should. They won, and they won big.
Taiwan the Model
(With apologies to Mohammed & Omar of ITM.)
Kudos to President Bush for his kind words about Taiwan being a model for democracy. I don’t know if Americans realize how much the Taiwanese value their encouragement. Recall the reaction to the words of another great American president:
"One day, my Soviet jailers gave me the privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed across the front pages was a condemnation of President Reagan for having the temerity to call the Soviet Union an "evil empire." Tapping on walls and talking through toilets, word of Reagan’s "provocation" quickly spread throughout the prison. The dissidents were ecstatic. Finally, the leader of the free world had spoken the truth – a truth that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us."
– Scharansky, Natan. The Case for Democracy. p 138
The pro-unification China Post wasn’t cheering when they heard Mr. Bush’s words, though. Taiwan? A Model? Democracy? Humbug!
"Is Taiwan’s "model" so wonderful as President Bush has depicted? Let’s not get too giddy. The fact is, Taiwan has not "delivered prosperity to its people" for almost a decade, thanks to the political implosion brought about by "embracing freedom at all levels."… Taiwan may not be a convincing example for the mainland to emulate, at least as far as economic prosperity is concerned. Apparently, President Bush had a political axe to grind."
They sure don’t sound too happy about Taiwan "embracing freedom at all levels" now, do they? In fact, they sound downright resentful. Because Taiwan isn’t their model – Beijing is.
Dirty Pool
A VCD is said to have been produced in Taiwan showing a KMT politician engaging in adultery. So far, the political damage is due entirely to hearsay because the disc hasn’t been distributed. Filing a defamation suit may be tricky, because it hasn’t actually been made public.
Something like this happened in the last year or so, when a VCD involving another politician was "accidentally" included in one or two thousand fliers. All I can say is, it’s pretty low.
Parties across the board slam Chu VCD as attempt to influence elections
Update (Nov 16/05): The initial story implied that the VCD contained video footage of the politician "caught in the act". Instead, it has four actors sitting around a table gossiping about the politician’s reputed indiscretions. Very uncool.
KMT Bullies the Press
The KMT accused the Taipei Times, the Taiwan News and foreign media of not covering the KRTC scandal as extensively as the KMT thinks it should be covered. They made other accusations that were easily disproved, and ended up looking pretty foolish.
Alright all overseas foreigners out there: do you really care about a Taiwanese light rail transit bribery scandal? Do you get up each day wondering who paid who off, and how much traded hands? Of course it’s important, but maybe it’s not quite as important as 700 missiles being pointed at Taiwan, and the KMT blocking defensive arms bills.
The real reason for the KMT’s tantrum is that the government is pursuing the TVBS television station, which is currently a KMT media ally. The KMT argues that this is a violation of freedom of the press, but the truth is more complicated. More than 50% of TVBS is owned by Hong Kong interests, which is itself a violation of a law limiting foreign ownership of media outlets to 49% or less. Moreover, there is good reason to suppose that there is communist Chinese influence in the case of a television station with a majority of its shares held by Hong Kongers.
It’s a shot across the bow of the Taipei Times and the Taiwan News. Remember our record from 45 years of dictatorship, says the KMT. What the government does to TVBS, they warn, we can one day do to you.
Update: The Taipei Times editorial response:
Family Ties
Back around May or June, it became clear that there would be a leadership contest within the ranks of the KMT for a new chairman. The chairman at the time, Lien Chen, had lost two presidential races, and his attempts to have the March elections declared null and void were going nowhere. Unless the KMT wanted to to be led by its own version of Harold Stassen, Lien had to go.
Lien still had his supporters however, and they began to grow more vocal. The nadir came when a group of elderly men kowtowed on hands and knees in front of him on national television, weeping and begging him for the sake of the party not to resign. It was suspiciously like a scene from Imperial China, where a man had to decline supplicants three times before he accepted the job of Emperor.
One of the two contenders for the post, by the surname of Wang, hedged his bets. Wang said that he was eager to get the job, he was champing at the bit, he was raring to go. Unless of course, Lien still wanted the job. In that case, Wang would graciously bow out, because obviously the party would be much better served with a two-time electoral loser at its helm.
The other contender, hizzonner Mayor Ma Ying-jeou of Taipei, was made of sterner stuff. Ma wanted the job, whether Lien quit or not. Suddenly, Lien’s "unanimous annointment" strategy began to fall apart.
It’s safe to say that no foreigner could ever have predicted the gambit that Lien would then employ. It could only have been conceivable to someone raised in the Chinese culture of ‘filial piety’. For what happened next was that an old KMT stalwart named Ma Ho-ling went to the press and weighed in on the issue.
If my son runs against Lien Chan, said Mayor Ma’s father, I will commit suicide.
Gee, thanks for your support, Dad.
Lien ended up resigning, Mayor Ma became the new KMT chairman, and Ma’s father didn’t drink any cyanide-flavored kool-aid.
I repeat the story now, because yesterday, Ma’s father was hospitalized.
On this matter, my heart goes out to Mayor Ma. His father however, gets no sympathy from me.