- Mike Turton does the maths on ECFA support in Taiwan. The polls just don't seem to add up to that magic 60% that the Premier said would be a condition for signing it. Don't expect the Premier to remember that condition as the deadline for signing ECFA nears. And check MT's take on the possible, literal, 'rezoning' of Taiwan in the future ...
- Talking of zones, the fake French TV 'Extreme Zone' programme recreated the conditions of a famous prisoner / inmate experiment conducted by Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960s, "in which volunteers were ordered to inflict electric shocks on a student in order to improve memory." The result? "70 percent of contestants laughed at least once during the ordeal, the program producers said, and only 19 percent put a stop to the game before reaching the maximum charge of 420 volts."
- DPP alleges KMT Taitung County Magistrate Justin Huang has a US passport. Meanwhile, Diane Lee walks free as she contests her guilty verdict for fraud. No preventative detention for some.
- ECFA push enters final stage of mass hypnosis and fear induction. Interestingly:
The Legislative Yuan's Finance Committee adopted a resolution stating that whether members of the financial sector have actively helped publicize the ECFA should be made one of the criteria that will determine their qualifications to set up branches in China. (BG - Did you help the Government push ECFA on Taiwanese? Your 30 pieces come in the form of beneficial treatment under the new agreement. Nothing like bribing local business to support your policies. However it does make perfect sense since business opinions in Taiwan are the pigs in Animal Farm - some are more equal than others)Meanwhile, the results of a survey released by the China Times revealed that only 24 percent of respondents were aware of the content of the ECFA, and 67 percent were in favor of holding a public debate between the ruling and opposition parties on the signing of the trade pact. (BG - likelihood of public debate? 5-10% with a following wind and downhill)
- Sandstorm from China. I had to chuckle at one student's response as I warned my class to bring face masks - "Ha! Made in China!".
- Apple Daily calls for restraint, maturity and discretion and not death threats to Ma and his family. I agree. I wish members of the Ma administration, such as the 'Boao Rat' Su Chi, had shown the same when they were in opposition and brought the nation's political process to a halt by blocking everything. Lead by example ....?
- Former Justice Minister Wang argued that the death penalty is against the recently signed international covenants on human rights. New Minister Tseng Yung-fu disagrees:
Responding to Wang’s remark, Tseng noted that human rights covenants are aimed at reducing the execution of death penalty. In recent years, the society has seen a notable decrease of death verdicts due to judicial circumspection and social concern. Therefore, the execution cannot be treated as the denial of the covenants. (BG - hang on. Tseng has gone on the record as saying he will sign the execution orders for the clearest cases first yet here he notes that death verdicts in the last few years were reduced owing to social concern. The official line is that the public supports the death penalty so what social concern prompted a reduction in death sentences? Tseng argues that execution is not a denial of the covenants only because Taiwan has made steps toward reducing death sentences. Yet Tseng has shown himself keen to carry out a few executions, marking a move away from the wording of the covenants. Tseng is clearly fishing for a way to get the Ministry off the hook so that it doesn't reduce the 'shine' Ma can claim for signing the covenants. As many feared, it seems the covenants are window dressing for western eyes whilst at home, its business as necessary)
The official of the Executive Yuan also noted that everyone has the freedom of speech in response to Wang’s claim. However, it is clear that majority of the public supports the government to perform official duties according to law, said the official.(BG - and when the law is amended to state that anyone carrying out activities designed to undermine the economic and political unification of Taiwan and China is guilty of national subversion and treason and deserves the death penalty, the Government will trot out the line that it is 'performing official duties according to the law".)
- Plans for absentee voting continue - to be implemented (conveniently?) for the 2012 Presidential election. There will be limits to the plan. Why?
Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah also ruled out allowing overseas compatriots with double citizenship or Taiwanese business people in China to vote by mail. There were fears that ballots mailed in from China might be doctored, he said. (BG - but China is our special partner with whom we are tied in blood. Why would they do this to Taiwanese elections if they are our 'brothers'?)
The minister said his plan would allow voters who were staying in another part of Taiwan to study or work to cast their ballot in that location, while allowing their vote to be included in the vote total for their home constituency.
He rejected fears from political party supporters that a local government from the other party would have the opportunity to doctor absentee ballots. After decades of democratic development in Taiwan, there was no need anymore to fear such practices, Jiang said. (BG - That's right - with Diane Lee convicted and three by-elections held this year owing to vote buying, Taiwanese really don't need to fear electoral malpractice. In reality, Taiwan has undergone 23 years of democratic transition that has not yet been consolidated - it is now under its greatest threat ever - marginalisation and downgrading under 'stealth unification' by the KMT Government - the party that has the longest and most inglorious history of electoral malpractice in possibly any country on earth)
