The Significance of Nationalist Taipei Mayor Ma Ying Jiu's visit to the San Francisco Bay Area
Commentary Column Written by Elizabeth Su August 25, 2003 Han Institute
On August 23, 2003, Taipei city mayor Ma Ying Jiu met wide support from the SF bay area community at the Taiwan Benevolent Association of America's 26th Anniversary Conference. Some traveled from Las Vegas. Many people believe that Ma will be the future Taiwan president. Ma is well spirited and gave very down-to-earth reports regarding Taiwan. He says that from the media, the image of Taiwan may not all that healthy and positive, however his anecdotal tales of Taiwan people's strong will to survive and go through the hard times are admirable.
Along with Ma Ying-Jiu's visiting group, the afternoon social forum to give an overview of Taiwan's current political and economic climate was conducted by senator Rao Ying-Qi, Senator Sun Guo-Hua, Wu Dun-Yi, and Mrs. Zeng Cai Mei-Zuo.
The ideas are that people have been cheated for 12 years by the former Taiwan president and national party leader. We need to work together to reconstruct. Lian Zhan and Soong Chu Yu will be able to forge a tie and led the Taiwan people a thriving economy once again.
1) Economic disarray. Wholesale embezzling of the Nationalist-founded economy. Many economic institutes have been exhausted and converted away from Nationalist control into private hands, and the resources have been drained away. Such as Zhong Hua Dian Xin, China Telecommunications. Many middle men got huge profits, but left holes of debts for the institutes to fix.
Bad economic structure and corruption has led the social masses to poverty, and joblessness. It is a malfunctioning economy. It is a social anomaly. Senator Zeng testifies about the bleak economic Taiwan hardships. Many college graduates simply came home in the afternoon without jobs after they graduated in the university in the morning.
2) The new joint White Paper policy of Lian Zhan and Soong Chu Yu. Senator Sun mentions that the senate is getting the Bai Pi Shu, "White Paper" ready. The White Paper policy will list the main working projects that Lian Zhan and Soong Chu Yu's government will guarantee to the people, so they are hammering out this carefully. On asking why they have not got it released, Senator Sun replied, "We are watching Cheng Shui Bian, and make cautious strategy."
3) Cheng Shui Bian is trying to overpower the Legislative branch with the Executive branch. Senator Rao is saying that the policing in the Hua-Lian election is a bad form of violating the democratic system. Every 3rd step you set up guard vigils to oversee and watch the elections, that is too rigid. Also by laying off and eliminating the senate members by half will cause the inadequate coverage and discussions on the major resolutions for the nation.
4) The rights of the overseas Chinese. This group of people has always been supported by the Nationalist government, but their rights have been suspended and abused by the current Ming Jin Party, which does not respect the overseas Chinese immigrants. These immigrants supported the Taiwan exports and main purchases of the food business in Chinese outlets and supermarkets. Taiwan Nationalist-trained engineers have worked in the U.S. to design advanced circuits to help generate Americans' revenues and the Nationalist government's revenues. But many Chinese immigrants here do not feel that the current government is fair to them and unlike the kind Nationalists the Ming Jing party provides no services for us and discriminated against us.
5) The concern of the local educational schools all changing their flags to mainland China is a worrisome topic and will be discussed by senators' Nationalist committee in Taiwan.
6) Academia Sinica head Lee Yuan Zhe is adolescent in education reform, though he is a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry.
Conclusion:
A good visit. A psychological boost from Mayor Ma Ying Jiu. An offering of a chance to reorganize after the 12-year-long trickery of former President Lee Deng Hui. The work needs to reach out to the Ke Jia people. Ke Jia people are from Yellow River and Luoyang, China Proper. He-Luo dialect and their clothing, foods, festival celebrations are all from China Proper.
In east coast of Taiwan, we have Han Yu, a Tang dynasty central court official from China Proper was sent to Fu Jian Province's Cao Zhou city. Han Yu had provided local people with many good projects and services, and local people set up temples to honor him. Many immigrants came from China proper and Fu Jian province, prior to the summer examinations, Eastern Taiwan residents would go to Han Yu's temple on Taiwan's east coast to burn incense to honor him, so that they would pass examinations with China Proper man's good literary and political, social services.
It is only for their votes that Taiwan President would want to claim that they can speak He-Luo China Proper language. Min Jin Party denied their Han lineage, and the education system is to get away the ties with China. However, the Ke Jia people trace every aspect of their traditional culture to Han, and China Proper. That is why they voted for the Nationalists in the Hua Lian election.
While in the south of Taiwan, the residents still stubbornly cling to their ethnical narrow defined Taiwan, and rule out other residents' legitimacy and rights to be born and living in Taiwan, the north, central and east still have love toward China Proper and ethnical Han identity.