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Taiwan poll setback will force rethink on China
When Ma Ying-jeou gave his rival candidate a thrashing in May's presidential election , the Harvard-educated lawyer proved he had the charisma to convince Taiwan's 17m voters that his scandal-scarred Kuo-mintang party deserved to be in power. He has retained his celebrity status while the opposition Democratic Progressive party licks its wounds after an extended graft trial sent Chen Shui-bian , Mr Ma's pro-independence predecessor, to prison in September.But the KMT's unexpected loss of five out of 17 provincial mayoral seats in Saturday's local elections must have been a salutary lesson for the president. Speaking after the first significant poll since he came to office, Mr Ma looked drawn and chastened. "The results were not ideal . . . we have been sent an alarm signal and we will thoroughly reflect on our policies," he said. Halfway though a four-year term, his presidency is most noted for its pragmatic approach to mainland China: it has become the party mantra that closer ties are necessary for the sake of the economy. So far Mr Ma has approved direct sea and air links between Taiwan and the mainland for the first time since civil war split the two in 1949, changed travel restrictions and eased cross-strait investments. Later this month representatives of the Beijing and Taipei governments will discuss an economic co-operation framework agreement which prepares the ground for mainland banks to invest in Taiwanese financial institutions. The ECFA is anathema to the DPP, which had stressed the need for a distinct national identity for Taiwan during its eight years in power, a view that infuriated Beijing and led to very limited interaction between the two sides. The doubters warn that as long as Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province that must be united with the motherland - by force if necessary - the government is putting the island's security at risk. Saturday's outcome suggests Mr Ma's government may not have the blanket support required to introduce more radical measures. The ECFA, for example, is already being described as going too far, too quickly, by some legislators. The DPP, meanwhile, has seized on Saturday's results as proof of a successful comeback, claiming the electorate had spoken on the mainland issue. Posted by: Steve White 2009-12-07 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=285071 |