As the World Turns: Taiwan Politics and China

Thursday July 14, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Ma Ying-jeou and his election campaign team are trying to lesson the DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen about what is the proper way to advertise oneself to the electorate. Tsai had declared that she was Taiwanese indicating that she would definitely be for Taiwan if elected and having to negotiate with China on numerous matters. Ma's team objected and cried that Tsai was being devisive by saying that she was Taiwanese when running for President of Taiwan. Say what? Should we go through that once again?

Ma's team instructed the proper way was to follow him. First Ma said he was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor in blood--that is a big claim; I have seen long geneologies but this one would have to go way past 2000 years.

But despite his blood of the Yellow Emperor, Ma said he identifies with Taiwan and fights for it. Should Taiwanese take that as a compliment?

Then not to miss a base, Ma said that in nationality he is an ROC citizen and president of the ROC. That is covering just about all the bases. Maybe he should have said he once prayed with the Dalai Lama.

Speaking at a different venue, the man that is a blood line descendant of the Yellow Emperor said however, that he wants fewer visits from the PRC Chinese. A little strange for a man that bragged about opening up visits etc. but then it came out, the descendant of the Emperor wants fewer visits from the Chinese who seem to want to hug and kiss him (after all he does have the Emperor's blood) because it is election time in Taiwan and democratic Taiwanese might not look favorably on having visitors from the Emperor's country.

So the world turns, Yok Mu-ming of the New Party took a different tack; he simply said that he was Chinese, not Taiwanese but Chinese. He better hope that he is running in a blue district if he is going for elections.