A sovereign disorder
I totally agree with the Liberty Times editorial’s characterization of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policies as suggestive of a person with multiple personality disorder. (“President Ma gives away the store,” Sept. 15, page 8).
I could go further and say that Ma and his diehard Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) followers seem to suffer from a developmental disorder given that they continue to dwell in the past, thinking and believing that they still live in a country called the Republic of China (ROC), which exists only in history books.
In an interview with a Mexican reporter, Ma said the government should not waste time and effort trying to resolve the sovereignty issue. (“‘State to state’ theory is dead, Ma says,” Sept. 4, page 1). I wonder how much time and effort Ma’s administration has actually spent on this issue other than making hints at unconditional surrender.
The problem of Taiwan’s sovereignty will be solved as soon as the president is willing to declare that the country’s name is no longer Republic of China in light of the UN’s “one China” policy, which recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and not the ROC.
Ma and his followers have been trying hard to bury Taiwanese sovereignty even though Taiwan is regarded around the world as an independent country. His administration has actively refused to insist on Taiwan’s status in the world arena, and without any real pressure from outside.
I guess Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and his people in the PRC must be overjoyed at seeing Ma surrender his title as president and then his country’s sover “Long live the ROC” will not resurrect it from obscurity.
I hope the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will use the Double Ten festivities to organize some protest action by chanting “Long Live Taiwan,” which represents the only hope of a future for Taiwanese.
Top DPP officials should conduct public education campaigns from time to time to encourage people to demand the government hold a referendum on changing the nation’s title from the ROC to the “Republic of Taiwan,” or just “Taiwan.” If not, Taiwan will be gobbled up.
Kris Liao
San Francisco, California
Romanization woes
I have thought long and hard about the Romanization of geographical locations in Taiwan now that the government has decided to implement Hanyu Pinyin.
I am a supporter and advocate of an independent Taiwanese republic. I have no problem with Hanyu Pinyin, but think that people should be able to choose their own names.
I had a problem with the way the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) dealt with Romanization. The stupid fight between Hanyu Pinyin and Tongyong was basically a fight over Mandarin. What a waste of time.
To say other languages in Taiwan could use Tongyong was an excuse to implement it; Tongyong and Hanyu Pinyin are in fact quite similar. So why not use something that is internationally recognized?
Here is the catch: If the Romanization of Hoklo [commonly known as Taiwanese] was as important to the DPP government as it should have been, then it should have implemented the Peh-oe-ji (POJ) system of Romanization for geographical names, including street names.
Hanyu Pinyin for Mandarin and POJ for Hoklo. That was the way to go, but the DPP government squandered the opportunity to Romanize Hoklo and promote it.
Even now there is still an opportunity to do this, given that public transportation includes announcements in Hoklo and Mandarin.
Kellvan Cheng
Dallas, Texas
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to