Taiwan's Ma Ying-joke Lets His Campaign Manger Speak for Him

Wednesday September 14, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

The latest joke in the political scene in Taiwan is the fact that its president, Ma Ying-jeou, or as called by some Ma Ying-joke, has sent his campaign manager to the United States to float balloons in an effort to stir up flagging support for his campaign.

The joke is this. King Pu-tsun, Ma's campaign manager (regarded as a snake oil salesman in Taiwan) has been touring the United States on behalf of President Ma. This is very, very strange. One would expect Ma to send his Vice-President, or Premier or someone of stature to a country like the United States. Yet he sent his campaign manager. Is King the only one Ma can trust to put a positive spin on his presidency?

What makes this worse is that it implies that there are really no reliable or competent people in all of Ma's party.

Unbecoming his low official position, King has started to float ideas as if he were making policy for the government. The first one of note is that Ma might be willing to make a trip to Beijing, a major step and change in Ma's pledge to avoid even discussion of unification, something that does not endear him to Taiwanese. There is more to be followed on this but Taiwanese should be upset that the only worthy representative to speak Ma's mind is his snake-oil salesman campaign manager.