Taiwan: Depressing Political Mess, plus Frustrated Moaning
I haven't blogged much on the ongoing political mess in Taiwan because (a) I've been far too busy at school, and (b) I don't know what to say.
The mess gets messier, and the news gets worse every minute. I had a chat with my Sibling. He's not as interested in Taiwanese politics as I am, but even he was following the news. He called recently and said, "Have you been watching the news...?"
"Yes," I sighed.
"It's pretty bad."
"I know."
Then he said something that was pretty incisive. The mess with Chen and the DPP, etc. is in itself simply bad news for all involved. But in the macro sense, in the Asian geopolitical and even global sense, the Sibling was on-target when he sighed, "It makes Taiwan look bad."
Not just Chen, not just DPP, but Taiwan. I think he's right. The whole mess looks TAIWAN look bad, makes Taiwanese self-governing democracy look bad, and the whole depressing situation plays into the KMT's and, really, into Beijing's hands. Anyway, if you read this blog you know that I have no love for the KMT. I am not a DPP cheerleader either, but I had hoped it would be better for Taiwan overall. Now I'm just frustrated.
Here is the latest news on Taiwanese political misery over Chen: 2 members of parliament have resigned in protest.
I am also currently reading this new book on Taiwan: Forbidden Nation: The History of Taiwan. (2005) It argues that right now is a crucial moment in Taiwanese history, a time when its independence will be secured or lost. That's a rather depressing analysis, isn't it?
So I'm not very happy about all this. Remember too that a couple weeks ago, the KMT-led opposition blocked (again!) the defensive arms bill. That's just great. Taiwanese politics are imploding on the domestic front, and the parliamentarians can't agree on improving defenses. KMT is, really, more interested in destroying Chen than safeguarding Taiwanese integrity; Chen's scandal has played right into their hands. Right now, I am NOT happy about Taiwanese affairs at all! *Frustrated moaning.*
But there is really nothing to do but sit and watch and hope for the best . . . and think about other, nicer aspects of Taiwan (ooo, by the way, my parents just announced a family holiday trip to Taiwan in August 2007! Now that's probably the only happy news I've heard about Taiwan in months.)