Excited
Today, Taiwan held it’s fourth truly democratic election for president, where it elected its first president who had campaigned for closer economic relations with Beijing, paving the way for a considerable lessening of tensions between the Taiwan Straits, as reported in The New York Times “Taiwan Elects a Leader Who Seeks Closer China Ties“:
“Ma Ying-jeou, a Harvard-educated lawyer and former Taipei mayor from the Nationalist Party, won by a convincing margin. He prevailed despite a last-minute effort by his opponent, Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party, to warn that the Chinese crackdown in Tibet represented a warning of what could also happen to Taiwan if it did not stand up to Beijing. With all votes counted, Mr. Ma prevailed 58.45 percent to 41.55 percent and Mr. Hsieh quickly conceded defeat…in election day interviews, voters echoed Mr. Ma’s stance that closer relations with the mainland and its fast-growing economy represent the island’s best hope of returning to the rapid economic growth it enjoyed until the late 1990s.”
The referendum on calling to for the island, which was mostly symbolic rather than realistic in nature, to apply to the United Nations as Taiwan and not using its legal name, the Republic of China failed. The Republic of China remains status quo and falls under the “One China Policy,” which China and the United States, and in the past, the Taiwanese government has often agreed with.
The voter turn-out was estimated to be around 75.7 percent of the electorate, which is pretty impressive when compared to America’s traditional voter turn-out rate of 50% – but not as high as in 2004, where turnout was approximately 85%.
For most of the Taiwanese-Americans and their parents I know, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) loss is disappointing. From what I have read though, outgoing (DPP) President Chen Sui-Ben’s eight years in office has been disappointing, controversial (for his strong stance on independence), and full of corruption and mismanagement with also a decline in the economy which lead to “Chen” fatigue. Despite the tensions in Tibet, the Taiwanese electorate clearly want a more moderate approach to dealing with China than the previous eight years.
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I just want to say that although the US press highlights that KMT's "closer ties to China" angle, that I think the electorate of Taiwan was not so much voting for the KMT and for closer ties to China, but rather AGAINST the disappointments of the last 8 years.
While a lot has been made about A-Bian's presidency as a lame duck, remember that the still held a lot of power and blocked President Chen from being as effective as people hoped he would be. And while the economy of Taiwan has been relatively stagnant, the Chinese economy has been booming. I may be biased, but I still don't think the people of Taiwan want to be "closer to China," but rather, they want to experience their own economic good fortune alongside China's.
In essence, I think the Taiwanese people were voting for change and anyone who interprets the KMT's win as a "vote toward unification" would be ignoring the complexities of the entire situation. Despite the failure of the UN referendum's passage, it is clear the Taiwanese people want to be represented at the world table and not as a part of China, but as an entity of their own. Unfortunately, calling this entity "Taiwan" scares China, and understanding, scares many of the people of Taiwan who are all too aware of the missiles always pointing at them from their big western neighbor bully.
I just want to say that although the US press highlights that KMT's "closer ties to China" angle, that I think the electorate of Taiwan was not so much voting for the KMT and for closer ties to China, but rather AGAINST the disappointments of the last 8 years.
While a lot has been made about A-Bian's presidency as a lame duck, remember that the still held a lot of power and blocked President Chen from being as effective as people hoped he would be. And while the economy of Taiwan has been relatively stagnant, the Chinese economy has been booming. I may be biased, but I still don't think the people of Taiwan want to be "closer to China," but rather, they want to experience their own economic good fortune alongside China's.
In essence, I think the Taiwanese people were voting for change and anyone who interprets the KMT's win as a "vote toward unification" would be ignoring the complexities of the entire situation. Despite the failure of the UN referendum's passage, it is clear the Taiwanese people want to be represented at the world table and not as a part of China, but as an entity of their own. Unfortunately, calling this entity "Taiwan" scares China, and understanding, scares many of the people of Taiwan who are all too aware of the missiles always pointing at them from their big western neighbor bully.
Of course the turnout is high, the winning party gives gifts to the voters if they win as "thanks" Friends have gotten a few home appliances in the past (microwaves, toasters, rice cookers)
Of course the turnout is high, the winning party gives gifts to the voters if they win as "thanks" Friends have gotten a few home appliances in the past (microwaves, toasters, rice cookers)
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