Latest Loony Taiwan "Analysis": Georgia=Taiwan, Saakashvili=Chen

Michael Turton disassembles this latest morass, thus saving me from doing so. Like so many other "analyses," it presents former President Chen as a dangerous troublemaker, etc. etc. That old chestnut. The latest wrinkle here is comparing Chen to Georgia's President Saakashvili -- a comparison that's not just inaccurate, but basically false and misleading.

Anyway, the article goes on to speak about current Taiwan President Ma (in favorable terms, natch!). Unfortunately for these Ma cheerleaders, Turton isn't buying it (and neither am I). Michael's comment:

. . . political change here has not enhanced stability in the Taiwan Strait . . . instead it has introduced new instabilities and uncertainties by giving China the upper hand and sacrificing the interests of US allies Japan and Taiwan, as well as introducing the new and ominously opaque uncertainty: how far is Ma willing to go? But as we all know, the greatness of a realpolitik decision is measured by the number of friends it betrays . . .

You should take a look at the actual article that has Turton in such a temper. You know, part of me is really sick and tired of reading and trying to refute/rebut the constant stream of bad "analyses" of Taiwan. But another part of me thinks, "Well, I ought to try, because otherwise I'm basically letting people get away with spouting these stupid 'analyses' and spreading misconceptions." Bleagh.

Taiwan: New President Ma and His Inaugural Speech

The View from Taiwan blog has an in-depth look at Ma's inaugural presidential speech.

Do take a look.

Honestly, I'm still unhappy about the KMT in general, though clearly the DPP dropped the ball in all sorts of ways. Ma's just starting out, though, so I guess all I can do is wait and see.

I do have to point out one little piece of the English translation of Ma's speech:

"Dr. Sun Yat-sen's dream for a constitutional democracy was not realized on the Chinese mainland, but today it has taken root, blossomed and borne fruit in Taiwan."

Interesting. Well, my wise old grandpa (he was a lifelong teacher of history -- I guess my apple didn't fall far from his tree) used to say that Sun Yat-sen was the only person both mainland Chinese and Taiwanese could agree on was a Good Guy.

Aside from that, I find Ma going back to Sun to be rather a gloss over nitty-gritty real history. Yes, today there is a vibrant (if still young and growing) democracy in Taiwan, and we should all be supporting it. BUT that democracy didn't just appear magically out of thin air. People had to work hard to develop it -- after 50 years of one-party rule and martial law by . . . the old KMT. Ummm, yeah.

Taiwan Photoblogging: the DPP Rally on March 16

Michael Turton has been photoblogging! Do go see his many great photos from the March 16 DPP rally. (Yes, yes, I betray my political sympathies, no?)

Oh, I notice Michael has described some young ladies at the rally as "totally hot DPP babes." Hahaha, maybe next time I will be one! *giggle*

Taiwan: Required Reading for March 22 Election

The Jamestown Foundation has a useful new briefing of who and what in the upcoming Taiwanese vote.

Xie-xie to Michael Turton of the very good View from Taiwan blog.

March 22: Upcoming Taiwanese Elections--plus the Sibling Reports on DPP Campaign Headquarters

Just a thought as I brace myself for the inevitable mess that will come with the Taiwanese elections. For one thing, I expect a great deal of ludicrously bad "coverage" from the international news media. Expect "analysts" to be spouting nonsense, particularly nonsense that reveals they haven't a real clue about Taiwan at all -- or that they've somehow become sympathetic with the pan-blues and the photogenic Ma.

BUT! On a more personal note, I received an email a couple days ago from the Sibling in Taipei. He reported on an incident at the DPP campaign headquarters, and then told me to keep an eye on the news to see if the incident appears.

Here is the incident as the Sibling reported it ("Big news here," he says from Taipei). Some KMT supporters (blues) decided to cause trouble for the DPP (greens), and did this by sending some men to the DPP headquarters (they were "suits," according to the Sibling). They then apparently kicked in the door, accusing the DPP of not paying correct rent on the location. Soon dozens of DPP/green supporters appeared on the scene to protest the action of the blues and to deny their accusation. Riot police were called to the scene to restore order.

(Since I have a language policy on the blog, I won't repeat verbatim the Sibling's opinion of the pan-blues, but I can say he called their tactics a very nasty word indeed...and he's usually very polite! Also, the type of rowdy behavior he reports is unusual -- Taiwanese politics can be energetic, but not usually in the forms of fisticuffs like this.)

Here is the first appearance of the incident that I found -- in the BBC. A finance minister and a KMT legislator have now resigned over the fracas at DPP headquarters. Big news indeed.

[Finance minister] Ho Chih-chin said he was resigning to take responsibility for what he called his improper behaviour.

He had accompanied several legislators from the KMT - members of the parliamentary finance committee - to the DPP's campaign headquarters.

They had alleged that the building - owned by a bank which was supervised by the finance ministry - was being unlawfully occupied, claiming that no rent had been paid.

After gaining access, they were blocked from leaving by DPP supporters.

Scuffles broke out, and about 200 riot police were called in to try to maintain order.

The lawmakers were eventually allowed to leave the scene, and were taken to a police station for questioning.

The DPP's presidential candidate, Frank Hsieh, and his aides have strongly condemned the incident.

KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou later apologised and condemned the violence - although his aides insisted his campaign team had no prior knowledge of the event.

One of the KMT legislators involved in the incident, Alex Fai, also apologised and resigned as party whip.

Sorry for the delay in posting this -- I've been rather ill with a cold!

I'll have more news from the Sibling in Taiwan soon. He's heading to Taichung and Sun Moon Lake soon...

Taiwan: "Warming Up" to China or Keeping the Status Quo?

This is something of a misleading headline, isn't it?

"Is Taiwan Warming Up to Mainland China?"

It's an interesting opinion piece, but I don't really think Taiwan is "warming up" to China. Or, at least, no Taiwanese I know is feeling any better about Beijing's bullying tactics or about ever ceding the island's de facto sovereignty.

There is instead a sort of resignation that we're all stuck in a holding pattern for now, all in the status quo -- and if the status quo is de facto independence, then fine -- and OK, for the present, let's all go make lots of money in business and manufacturing and living our lives.

Look, Taiwan's not going to declare formal independence soon, and perhaps Chen's overplayed his hand a bit. Still, I don't see there ever coming a day when Taiwan will rush off to kowtow to one-party autocratic CCP rule (well, I make an exception for some KMT members).

Taiwan: Legislative Election Fallout + Media Mess

The Taiwanese legislative elections are in the news, and KMT did well. I'm not very happy about this!

Ramifications for the March presidential elections are not good for the DPP.

To make things worse, the media coverage is even worse than usual. I'm used to Western/international media making a "dog's breakfast" out of Taiwanese affairs, but as one Taiwan-based blogger says it this time, "the flow of cr*p from international media starts." (He links to a NY Times story that is so biased against Chen that I'm surprised it doesn't fall over from its own imbalance.)

The BBC story isn't much better. Why is evrybody cheerleading for the so-called "Nationalists" (KMT)? They may call themselves Taiwanese nationalists, but their goal is to cozy up to China.

Taiwan: Voting for MPs this Weekend

It's time to talk about those other elections, gentle readers -- yes, the Taiwanese ones! First the legislative elections and then the presidential one in March.

The Taiwanese electorate is choosing MPs this weekend. I've been seeing a lot of pundit-cheerleading for the KMT. Well, maybe the KMT will do well, and maybe it won't. Don't put too much trust in pundit predictions. Chen's been campaigning hard for the DPP. Still, DPP does look vulnerable.

Anyway, the political circus is in full swing; campaign posters, banners, and signs are everywhere!

By the way, you may or may not recall the new election reforms that are now in place.

Keep your eye on the Taiwanese ballot-box. The result, whatever it is, is sure to add to the political hoopla for the presidential race.

It's a big year for election-watching -- big, big races going on both in the US and in Taiwan. Pass the popcorn!

UPDATE: Check out Michael Turton's colorful collection of election photos.