When someone shares with you something of value, you have an obligation to share it with others.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Few buying Chen’s ‘martyr’ act
Professor Li Hsiao-feng of Shih Hsin University, himself sympathetic to the pro-independence cause, conceded that few were buying the pro-independence act, and that it is ‘only the fanatics who are supporting him’.
Even support from the former president’s party is lukewarm
By Ho Ai Li 13 November 2008
TAIPEI: When former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian raised his cuffed hands and shouted ‘Long live Taiwan’ in the full glare of the media before being taken away on graft charges, it was clear he would not settle for a quiet exit like other disgraced politicians.
From the interrogation to his arrest yesterday, Chen took every opportunity to portray himself as a pro-independence martyr victimised by a China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) government.
After a marathon court hearing, a Taiwan court ordered him placed under arrest for suspected graft and money-laundering yesterday morning.
The court order capped nearly 21 hours of high political drama that saw the defiant former president led away in handcuffs, taken to hospital after claiming he had been roughed up by police, and finally put behind bars.
Yesterday, TV news channels were awash with images of him returning to Tucheng detention centre on the outskirts of Taipei, where the former opposition activist had been jailed for eight months in 1986 for defaming an opponent.
Following the arrest, analysts say it is only a matter of time before he is formally charged, with most predicting that it will take place within two weeks.
Some say he had seen it coming - perhaps had even planned for it - since prosecutors launched a probe in August into some US$20 million (S$30 million) his family had stashed away overseas.
In the three months leading up to his detention, Chen tried to whip up support by waging a campaign to tie his fate to the cause of Taiwanese independence.
Travelling to central and southern Taiwan to rally ‘dark green’ or pro-independence supporters, he urged them to make a stand and ‘not let the Kuomin- tang bully a Taiwanese president’.
He said that some of his overseas funds were used to further the cause of Taiwanese diplomacy.
He also claimed he wired money abroad to set up a fund for Taiwanese independence, drawing a parallel between himself and the founder of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, who raised money overseas to fund the revolution.
And right up to the day of his arrest he continued to paint himself as a pro-independence martyr, saying: ‘I’m willing to bear the cross of Taiwan’s history; please release all the other innocent accused.’
And following last week’s anti-China protests against a meeting between a visiting Chinese envoy and President Ma Ying-jeou, Chen claimed he was made a scapegoat for the ugly scenes.
It is hard to say whether his expected trial will trigger unrest, as much will depend on whether court proceedings are seen to be fair and transparent, say observers.
For the time being, his strategy of playing the victim appears to be less than effective. An Apple Daily poll found that 69 per cent approved of his arrest, with just 22 per cent seeing it as political persecution.
Police officers far outnumbered Chen supporters outside the special prosecutors’ office where he was questioned on Tuesday.
While pro-independence underground radio stations were reportedly abuzz with calls from angry Chen supporters yesterday, there were few other signs of discontent.
And even his own Democratic Progressive Party’s response was lukewarm. While it pointed to a lack of dignity in the way he was treated and allegedly unfair legal procedures, it failed to issue direct support for its former chairman.
Observers say Chen’s claim to be a champion of Taiwan independence has been less than persuasive because he had declared, when he was president, that formal independence was impossible.
Professor Li Hsiao-feng of Shih Hsin University, himself sympathetic to the pro-independence cause, conceded that few were buying the pro-independence act, and that it is ‘only the fanatics who are supporting him’.
1 comment:
Few buying Chen’s ‘martyr’ act
Even support from the former president’s party is lukewarm
By Ho Ai Li
13 November 2008
TAIPEI: When former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian raised his cuffed hands and shouted ‘Long live Taiwan’ in the full glare of the media before being taken away on graft charges, it was clear he would not settle for a quiet exit like other disgraced politicians.
From the interrogation to his arrest yesterday, Chen took every opportunity to portray himself as a pro-independence martyr victimised by a China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) government.
After a marathon court hearing, a Taiwan court ordered him placed under arrest for suspected graft and money-laundering yesterday morning.
The court order capped nearly 21 hours of high political drama that saw the defiant former president led away in handcuffs, taken to hospital after claiming he had been roughed up by police, and finally put behind bars.
Yesterday, TV news channels were awash with images of him returning to Tucheng detention centre on the outskirts of Taipei, where the former opposition activist had been jailed for eight months in 1986 for defaming an opponent.
Following the arrest, analysts say it is only a matter of time before he is formally charged, with most predicting that it will take place within two weeks.
Some say he had seen it coming - perhaps had even planned for it - since prosecutors launched a probe in August into some US$20 million (S$30 million) his family had stashed away overseas.
In the three months leading up to his detention, Chen tried to whip up support by waging a campaign to tie his fate to the cause of Taiwanese independence.
Travelling to central and southern Taiwan to rally ‘dark green’ or pro-independence supporters, he urged them to make a stand and ‘not let the Kuomin- tang bully a Taiwanese president’.
He said that some of his overseas funds were used to further the cause of Taiwanese diplomacy.
He also claimed he wired money abroad to set up a fund for Taiwanese independence, drawing a parallel between himself and the founder of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, who raised money overseas to fund the revolution.
And right up to the day of his arrest he continued to paint himself as a pro-independence martyr, saying: ‘I’m willing to bear the cross of Taiwan’s history; please release all the other innocent accused.’
And following last week’s anti-China protests against a meeting between a visiting Chinese envoy and President Ma Ying-jeou, Chen claimed he was made a scapegoat for the ugly scenes.
It is hard to say whether his expected trial will trigger unrest, as much will depend on whether court proceedings are seen to be fair and transparent, say observers.
For the time being, his strategy of playing the victim appears to be less than effective. An Apple Daily poll found that 69 per cent approved of his arrest, with just 22 per cent seeing it as political persecution.
Police officers far outnumbered Chen supporters outside the special prosecutors’ office where he was questioned on Tuesday.
While pro-independence underground radio stations were reportedly abuzz with calls from angry Chen supporters yesterday, there were few other signs of discontent.
And even his own Democratic Progressive Party’s response was lukewarm. While it pointed to a lack of dignity in the way he was treated and allegedly unfair legal procedures, it failed to issue direct support for its former chairman.
Observers say Chen’s claim to be a champion of Taiwan independence has been less than persuasive because he had declared, when he was president, that formal independence was impossible.
Professor Li Hsiao-feng of Shih Hsin University, himself sympathetic to the pro-independence cause, conceded that few were buying the pro-independence act, and that it is ‘only the fanatics who are supporting him’.
Post a Comment