Western media pundits in search of quick dramatic story lines have always glossed and glamorized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九); few have observed him long and close enough to see the reality beneath the surface.
For example, they always tout him as the brilliant Harvard lawyer. While he did attend Harvard, he never passed the bar in the US or in Taiwan. He is spoken of as being a glamorous mayor of Taipei, but few can list any real concrete accomplishments during his eight years in office.
True, gloss is easier than doing one’s homework, but this is why such reporters feel surprise when more and more people express a different conception of Ma. Some have started to refer to him as Ma Ying-joke.
There is the reality that despite all the hype of his bold new leadership and projections for dramatic economic growth, the promises quickly fizzled out. What is left is the realization that Ma Ying-joke is all palaver and no performance.
Being president of a nation with diverse global demands is different than being mayor of a city. In the past, when all he needed was showmanship, Ma talked out of both sides of his mouth and took every opportunity to strike a pose while city structures kept Taipei functioning. Now, when it is time to go beyond image and really deliver, Ma is lost and longs for the old days when the need for a cult figure among many Mainlanders could carry him on.
It is barely two months into Ma’s presidency and already a pathetic pall is seen settling over the country; some are beginning to wonder if Taiwan even has a president.
These are troubled times for Taiwan. It stands between two hegemonies, China and the US, and each has its own script for the nation to carry out. Taiwan needs leadership that can navigate between the conflicting demands of these hegemonies while preserving the nation’s dignity and sovereignty. Unfortunately, Ma seems to think that such navigation simply means trying to placate both and mouthing the words that all is well. Then he sticks his head in the sand like an ostrich and hopes the troubles will go away.
Ma has never been one for responsibility or action. In the past, most of what he achieved was handed to him on a platter by his family or the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). To take a personal stand is new for him. It means running the risk of error and possibly alienating someone, which would harm his image.
Instead of responsibility, what Ma really wants is to be a ceremonial president. Then he could bask in adulation and photo opportunities.
Ma was hoping that the China panacea would take care of things, but that doesn’t seem to be panning out. The great China tourist boom has gone bust in less than a month. Even before it started, good analysts predicted that it would be a drop in the economic bucket. Mediocre analysts and news reports that swallowed the Ma hype are now left scrambling for excuses.
When dealing with China, instead of taking responsibility for creating a new national strategy, Ma resorts to the fictitious “1992 consensus,” a dated piece of KMT fabrication. At least then if his strategy fails, or if it ends up surrendering Taiwan to China, Ma hopes he will not personally be held to blame.
When important issues present themselves, Ma says: “That’s the premier’s job.”
For the upcoming Olympics, Ma has tried his best to avoid confrontation. He first dodged the issue and accepted China’s designation of Taiwan’s place in line, saying it was no big deal. Then there is the matter of using Zhonghua Taibei (Chinese Taipei 中華台北) or Zhongguo Taibei (Taipei, China 中國台北), both of which denigrate Taiwan. Ma claims that after two months of negotiations he has accomplished a great diplomatic coup: He has gotten China to accept what it had agreed to ages ago.
And now that this is done, Ma says he has achieved a “diplomatic truce” — that is, a truce until the next time China decides to violate its agreements.
But Ma is not worried; for him this is all part of his not being a troublemaker. Supposedly it was the previous administration that was the troublemaker because it would not be the pony boy to China and the US.
Former US president Richard Nixon also sought the approval of the public and wished to portray himself as a strategic leader. Who can forget the way Nixon tried to convince Americans with his statement, “I am not a crook”?
Picture Ma with the same tone saying “I am not a troublemaker” and you will see a resemblance. But Nixon, despite his failings, was not afraid to act. Ma, instead of facing the powers confronting Taiwan, prefers to leave the action to others.
Looking through his phoniness, even the pan-blue media has referred to Ma as a little white rabbit who does not want to get his paws dirty. If one had to choose a placard for Ma’s desk it would read: “The Buck Stops Elsewhere.”
This is not something that can be cured by a change of heart; it is too deeply ingrained. Image could carry Ma when all he had to do was pose and throw out promises and platitudes. Make no mistake, Ma is a calculator. Unfortunately, he has chosen to surround himself with adoring Cub Scouts and manipulators.
With little substance, and no true care for or identification with Taiwan, Ma lacks a vision that is Taiwan-centric. He speaks and dreams of returning to the China-oriented mindset of the KMT and tries to emphasize Taiwan’s identity as part of a Zhonghua minzu (Chinese nation 中華民族).
If this were a Greek drama it would end in Ma’s betraying Taiwan and all the while claiming it was for Taiwan’s own good. Let us hope there are stronger voices left.
Jerome Keating is a Taiwan-based writer.
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