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EDITORIAL:Ma and his
unofficial minister
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) relationship with King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) would land
him in hot water if he were the leader of an established democracy such as, say,
the UK. Ma’s top lieutenant morphed into a quasi-president on his trip to the US
to drum up support for the actual president’s re-election bid.
King spoke on cross-strait ties, made policy pronouncements, met US officials
and sparred with Ma’s main election rival, Democratic Progressive Chairperson
Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who just so happened to be on a trip there herself to
cultivate ties with those same US officials.
From the outside world’s perspective, it is hard to tell who is the president —
Ma or King — and who is running for re-election.
While Taiwanese voters are in the midst of being discombobulated by this Ma/King
two-headed hydra, the UK public has been made painfully aware of an unorthodox
relationship between British Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox and his
close friend Adam Werritty, who has attended official meetings with Fox and Sri
Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as other dignitaries at other times
and locations.
Werritty was not elected to any office, was not appointed by any elected
officials, and therefore holds no official position in the government. Yet
because of his close relationship to Fox, Werritty has described himself as an
adviser to the secretary of state on business cards.
This dubious relationship has prompted a political crisis in the UK, with
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office ordering an expedited inquiry into
whether Fox has compromised national security by allowing Werritty to join in
such sensitive matters as the peace process between the Sri Lankan government
and the former Tamil Tiger rebels.
Fox is in danger of losing his job over the scandal.
Now compare the relationship of Fox and Werritty to that of Ma and King, who
holds no official office after he resigned his position as Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) secretary-general to run Ma’s re-election campaign.
King was not elected, not appointed and has no party position other than being a
member. He has been Ma’s bulldog/cheerleader throughout every one of Ma’s
election bids, from his Taipei mayoral campaign to his first attempt at the KMT
chairmanship and the 2008 presidential campaign. Because of his role and his
sharp attacks, he is known as “King, the Knife.”
Does King’s role as Ma’s top election lieutenant, however, qualify him to make
statements on Ma’s behalf that could compromise national security?
When King was in the US, he floated the possibility of Ma visiting China if the
president wins a second term. If that came to pass, it would be the biggest
change in the Republic of China’s (ROC) national security status since it fled
China. Because the question of Taiwan’s status is the most likely source of
armed conflict between the US and China, a Ma trip to China would be of enormous
significance for Taiwan, the region and the world. It is not something to be
announced flippantly and especially not from the lips of an unelected,
unappointed and unofficial Ma aide.
There would likely be calls for Ma’s impeachment if he were the leader of a
country like Germany or Japan.
This kind of politicking on the president’s behalf would not go down very well
in the UK, France, the US, the Philippines or any other country where leaders
must respect their office and protect national sovereignty.
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