Ma Ying-jeou

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Ma Ying-jeou

Ma Ying-jeou at UC Berkeley, 2006
Order: 22nd, 23rd-term Mayor of Taipei
4th-term Chairman of Kuomintang
Term of Office: December 25, 1998 – December 25, 2006 (Mayor)
August 19, 2005 – February 13, 2007 (Chairman)
Date of Birth: July 13, 1950 (age 56)
Place of Birth Kowloon, Hong Kong
Occupation 2008 ROC Presidential Candidate
Political Party: Kuomintang (KMT)
Official Website www.ma19.net

Ma Ying-Jeou (Traditional Chinese: 馬英九; Hanyu Pinyin: Mǎ Yīngjiǔ; Tongyong Pinyin: Ma Yingjiou; Wade-Giles: Ma Ying-chiu) (born July 13, 1950) is a politician in the Republic of China (Taiwan) and a former mayor of Taipei; he is also the former chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) . Ma was elected mayor of Taipei, in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. He was elected chairman of the Kuomintang by party members on July 16, 2005. He announced his resignation on February 13, 2007 after being indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of alleged misuse of Mayoral funds during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma then announced his candidacy for the ROC presidential election of 2008.[1].

During his tenure as Minister of Justice, Ma was seen as cracking down on "black gold", especially in his own party and the ROC government. His good looks and high level of education has made him one of Taiwan's most popular politicians, and he retains a following from citizens, particularly among women, those who identify themselves as Chinese or otherwise support unification with China, and business interests.

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Ma was born in Hong Kong (Kwong Wah Hospital in Kowloon), then a British colony, to parents from Hunan. When he was a year old, his family, KMT supporters, moved to Taiwan. Ma has personally claimed that his parents had already been in Taiwan before he was born and that his father was on assignment to Hong Kong when he was born there, though it is unclear to what assignment Ma was referring. Consequently, despite this assertion, he is generally designated as part of the so-called "Mainlander" category of Taiwan's populace. He earned a law degree from National Taiwan University in 1972 but did not pass the national bar exam. With a scholarship from the KMT, he completed additional studies in the United States, first earning an LL.M. from New York University and then an S.J.D. degree from Harvard University. He has been accused of spying on other Taiwanese students on behalf of the then authoritarian government in Taiwan while at NYU and Harvard, but Ma has denied these charges.[2]

After receiving his S.J.D., Ma returned to Taiwan in 1981 to teach law.

With the personal connections of his father, Ma Ho-ling (馬鶴凌), who had long harbored presidential aspirations for his son, Ma Ying-jeou started working in Taiwan's presidential palace under President Chiang Ching-kuo within a half year after earning his S.J.D., eventually becoming one of Chiang's personal translators. Ma was later promoted to the chair of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission under the Executive Yuan at the age of 38, becoming the youngest cabinet member of the ROC government.

Ma was deputy secretary-general of the KMT from 1984 to 1988, also serving for a period as deputy of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), a cabinet-level body in charge of cross-straits relations. President Lee Teng-hui appointed him Justice Minister in 1993. While serving as Justice Minister, Ma opposed the deletion of Article 100 concerning criminal law, a provision that was used by the ROC government to incriminate dissidents before martial law was lifted in 1987. He also opposed constitutional reforms allowing the ROC president to be elected directly by popular vote. These political stances have caused his detractors to claim that Ma was sympathetic to dictatorial governance while opposing democratic reforms. Ma was relieved of his post in 1996 because, his supporters claim, he proved too effective at fighting black gold political corruption within the KMT. After a short stint as a minister without portfolio, Ma returned to academia, and most people at the time believed his political career to have effectively ended.

Taipei City Hall, the workplace of Taipei's mayor.
Taipei City Hall, the workplace of Taipei's mayor.

In 1998, the KMT, faced with no other credible candidates, fielded Ma to challenge the then-incumbent Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who was seeking reelection. Despite Chen's public approval rating of over 80%, Ma's reputation and his Mainlander background in a city with a high percentage of Mainlanders who traditionally vote Pan-Blue, helped him defeat Chen. In the 2000 Presidential Election, Ma remained loyal to the KMT and supported its candidate, Lien Chan, over James Soong, who had bolted from the party and was running as an independent. The competition between Lien and Soong split the Pan-Blue vote and allowed his former rival Chen to win the presidential election with less than 50% of the popular vote. The election result, combined with Soong's good showing and Lien's poor showing, incited a great deal of anger against Ma when he tried to dissuade discontented Lien and Soong supporters from rioting by appealing to them in his dual capacities as Taipei City mayor and high-ranking KMT member.

Ma was able to repair the political damage and, in December 2002, became a superstar of the KMT by easily winning reelection with the support of 64% of Taipei voters, while DPP challenger Lee Ying-yuan, a novice politician, received only 36%. His solid victory, especially in light of opposition from both President Chen and former President and former KMT Chairman Lee Teng-hui, led many to speculate about his chances as the KMT candidate for the 2004 presidential elections, although nothing came of it.

Ma again assumed the role of dissuading angry Pan-Blue supporters from violence following the very close re-election victory of President Chen in 2004 after a controversial assassination attempt apparently aimed at either Chen or Vice President Annette Lu. Unlike some KMT members, Ma chose not to join in vocal calls to challenge or contest the election. Ma also avoided associating himself with claims that the assassination was staged.

Ma suffered some political damage as a result of the SARS epidemic in early 2003 and was criticized for not mobilizing the Taipei city government quickly enough. Flooding in metropolitan Taipei in 2004 also led to public questioning of his leadership and caused slides in Ma's approval rating.

During his administration years, Ma had many conflicts with the central government over such matters as health insurance rates and control of the water supply during the drought. Ma also was implicated in a scandal of Taipei Bank stock releases in 2003; however, the case was dismissed by the Taipei prosecutor after an investigation. He was strongly criticized by the opposing party for not allowing the ROC national flag to be flown along with a PRC flag during a cross-strait soccer match held in Taipei. Ma responded that he was merely following Olympic protocol, which only officially recognizes the Chinese Taipei Olympic Flag, and forbids ROC national flags from being shown in an Olympic Game Stadium.

His initiatives in administering the city of Taipei include changing the transliterations of street names and the Taipei Rapid Transit System's line and station names into Hanyu Pinyin, the spelling compatible with mainland China, as opposed to the Taiwanese-developed Tongyong Pinyin. Ma has expressed mild support for Chinese reunification and opposition to Taiwan independence. He opposed the 2004 referendum, which had been widely criticized by the U.S. and PRC. Nevertheless, his opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China (while other leaders of his party remained silent on the issue) led him to be banned from visiting Hong Kong to make a public speaking tour in 2005.[3] He also criticized the PRC for the Tian'anmen crackdown.

Ma's cross-political following has led some to note him as a rare example of relative civility in the notoriously rough and tumble world of Taiwanese politics. Ma has generally avoided being accused of using the vitriolic and sometimes offensive rhetoric common in Taiwanese political debate. His academic background and bearing have helped cultivate the image of Ma as an honest, dispassionate technocrat. Despite this reputation, and his wooden speaking style and shy demeanor, Ma is also considered a charismatic figure because his good looks make him popular among women and youth. On the other hand, Ma's critics claim that Ma, overeager to appear unbiased and/or neutral, is overly indecisive and lacks bold vision. Ma is often accused of avoiding being out in front on some of the more vigorous or controversial criticisms of President Chen or opposing parties, or involving himself in intra-party disputes. Among these critics, Ma has been referred to as a "non-stick pan" or "Teflon-man." Recently there has also been some criticism of his stumping for election candidates suspected of and later indicted for corruption charges. Many in the Pan-Green Coalition expressed opinions that Ma misled voters by lending his clean charismatic image to unscrupulous candidates in his own party.

In recent years, Ma has increasingly employed Taiwanese (Hoklo) in public speaking, perhaps to avoid backlash for his parents' mainland origin, and he has called himself a "child of Bangka (Wanhua)," identifying himself with the historic district of Taipei where he grew up. Others claim that Ma's mainland Chinese ancestry will further alienate members of the KMT who are "light-blue" vs. the pro-unification "dark-blue." However, Ma seems less polarizing in this sense than Lien Chan or other older KMT figures who did not grow up in Taiwan and are regarded by some as elitist about their ancestry.

Ma's prestige increased after the loss by Lien Chan in 2004 ROC Presidential Election as he is widely seen as the natural successor of Lien Chan. His handling of the post-election demonstrations of the Pan-Blue Coalition, in which he at one point sent riot police to control the demonstrations of his pan-blue party supporters, was generally seen as impartial. In 2005, Ma and Wang Jin-pyng were candidates in the first competitive election for KMT chairmanship. On 5 April 2005, in an exclusive interview with CTV talk show host Sisy Chen, Ma said he wished to lead the opposition Kuomintang with Wang, if he were elected its chairman, as their support bases are complementary. On July 16, 2005, Ma defeated Wang by a 72% to 28% margin, a margin larger than anticipated by either camp or news sources, despite Wang's receiving a last-minute endorsement by People First Party (PFP) chairman James Soong, who had retained significant following within the KMT. Some, particularly the supporters of Wang Jin-pyng, accuse Ma of unfairly implying that Wang is involved in "black gold" and criticized Ma's aides for being rude to Wang during the campaign. After the election, Ma has stated repeatedly that he wishes Wang to remain as first-ranked deputy chairman. Wang, however, has so far rebuffed the gesture, instead stating that he wishes to serve as "permanent volunteer." Wang has, indeed, accepted a party post that is incompatible with vice chairmanship, effectively ending the possibility that he would be vice chairman, although after meeting with Wang, Ma has stated that he would "leave the position open" for Wang. Ma has also repeatedly stated that he had no plans to resign from the Taipei mayorship, even after he formally took over the chairmanship from incumbent Lien Chan during the 17th Party Congress of the KMT in August 2005.

Immediately after Ma won the chairmanship election, he started selling several KMT assets, despite numerous complaints from pan-green politicians. Though Ma repeatedly claims that the party finances are in a poor state, he has not perceptibly limited the large subsidies the KMT gives to its members running for office. KMT finances were also used to pay for the costs of an anti-Chen demonstration, held in March 2006. His recent trips abroad are being financed with a combination of Taipei city money and KMT money.

Led by Ma Ying-jeou, the Kuomintang made a resounding win in the three-in-one election held on Dec 3, 2005. The KMT gained 6 more seats in the mayoral/magistratical race, from 8 seats in the last election, to a total of 14 seats. Before the election, Ma swore that he would quit chairmanship if his party could not win over half of the seats, which was a first for a KMT chairman. It was a decisive win for Ma Ying-jeou as well, since he took over the party chairmanship only 110 days before. In the election, the KMT won back the counties of Taipei and Yilan, and the city of Chiayi, which had been Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s strongholds for over twenty years. It was the first time in many years that the KMT regained popularity as far south as Cho-Shui River (Zhuo-Shui River). Quoting again his famous quote, Ma said, "we should only be excited about it for one evening." (Then we should go back to work).

In February 2006, while visiting Europe, Ma said that although he and the KMT favor eventual reunification, the KMT respects the opinions of Taiwanese people, and independence is a choice for the people of Taiwan. This caused widespread criticism within the party and from the mainland. In a December 2005 Newsweek International interview when asked about unification, Ma stated that "for our party, the eventual goal is reunification, but we don't have a timetable," explaining that he meant it was a choice for Taiwan but a choice for the Chinese KMT. [1] Perhaps to deflect heavy criticism from the Pan-Green Coalition the KMT later made an advertisement in the Liberty Times recognizing that independence is an option for the Taiwanese people. Wang Jin-pyng praised Ma for the policy shift since Wang himself made a similar statement during the 2004 election, but James Soong said he was "shocked" and Lien Chan said he was never consulted. This event actually won some welcome voices from Southern Taiwan where voters customarily favor the Pan-Green Coalition. One top KMT official said "we might as well let the measles out now so that we will be immune to it when election year comes close, because reunification or independence can be a hot topic by then."

Ma, seen here waving to supporters during a visit to UC Berkeley in March 2006, proposed "Five Do's" on dealing with the PRC.
Ma, seen here waving to supporters during a visit to UC Berkeley in March 2006, proposed "Five Do's" on dealing with the PRC.

Ma clarified later that the current KMT policy of retaining the status quo has not changed and has reiterated this position several times; further he also has reiterated his party's support of the one-China policy. Ma has defined the status quo as the "Five No's." During a visit to the United States in March 2006, he proposed a "proactive" approach to cross-strait relations which he called the "Five Do's."

While often nicknamed as “Teflon pot” for his extreme preservation of personal image, Ma was nonetheless caught in some political controversies despite the preferential treatment he enjoys with the local press. A series of mishaps during his tenure as the Mayor of Taipei, including the Typhoon Nari (納莉風災), the Shutdown of Hoping Hospital (和平封院事件), the Phosgene Incident (捷運光氣事件), the Scalping Incident (捷運扯頭皮事件) and the Human Ball Scandal (邱小妹人球事件), impaired Ma’s reputation. However, Ma maneuvered through these incidents relatively unscathed.

In addition to those incidents that give rise to public doubt on his competency, Ma has also been criticized for his involvement in several alleged scandals. His filings for the compulsory financial disclosure shows that his household net worth increased by more than NT$43 million (US$1.3 million)between 1993 and 2004, at a rate irreconcilable with his living standards, his two daughters in Ivy League schools and his identified income sources. Ma dismissed the criticism with a quotable line: “I spend less than US$10 a day and I only have an old patched suit.” His Shark Fin Scandal(富邦魚翅事件) is another spotlight case, in which he was caught showing up in the reclusive private club of the Tsai Family, who owns Fubon Financial Holding Co. that just acquired the city-owned TaipeiBank at that time. Ma denied the charges from Liao Zheng-jing, a member of Kuomintang and the ex-chairman of TaipeiBank, for mis-pricing the divestiture in Fubon’s favor.

One of his latest case is the Beitou Cable Car Link. According to Taiwan Laws, Taipei Municipal Government is the sole sponsor of this disputed BOT. However, the local press kept closing up on the detention of Yen Wan-chin, the allegedly bribed deputy Minister of Interior who staged a hunger strike for his innocence, for a few days, and played it down as independent critics began to put up their findings about wrongdoings of Taipei Municipal Government and question Ma’s responsibility as the Mayor. While the muted press wants to serve as the ablative coating again, some web-based critics never give up and continue to dig into Ma’s misdoings.

On November 14, 2006, Ma had been questioned by prosecutors over his alleged misuse of "special expenses" as Taipei mayor. At the same time, it is rumoured that party former chairman Lien Chen would run for the presidential election in 2008. The incident may have affected the clean image of Ma and his political future. On the next day, Ma admitted one of his aides forged receipts to claim Ma's expenses as Taipei mayor, and apologized for the latest political scandal.[4]

On February 13, 2007, Ma was indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of allegedly embezzling approximately NT$11 million (US$339,000), regarding the issue of "special expenses" while he was mayor of Taipei.[5] The prosecutor's office said that Ma had allegedly used government funds for personal use, such as paying for one of his daughter's living expenses while studying abroad and paying for his household utilities. Before that, Ma had admitted personal usage and claims that the special funds were simply a part of his salary[6] but had used all funds for public use or public benefit (charity donations).[7]

Shortly after the indictment, he submitted his resignation as chairman of the Kuomintang, making good on a previous promise to resign if he were ever indicted.[2] The resignation was initially rejected but then accepted by the party's Central Standing Committee before amending a clause that barred members from running for office if charged with a crime.[8] When the president and other leaders of the ruling DPP party were asked regarding their reaction to Ma's indictment they simply said that they would respect the rule of law. At a press conference following his resignation and indictment, Ma defended his innocence and declared his candidacy for the 2008 election for President of the Republic of China.[9]

On the same day he resigned as chairman of the KMT, Ma also announced his intention to run in the 2008 presidential elections.

Ma is married with two daughters. He has been an avid runner for more than thirty years, a swimmer for six, and a triathlete for three. He also enjoys music and literature; and has mentioned on numerous occasions that he is a fan of Asian diva Faye Wong. He is a committed blood donor (over 166 times) and alms (over NT$50 million, or US$1.5 million), and a volunteer for a dozen or so charitable organizations, such as United Way Taiwan. Ma is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and speaks good English. Ma also speaks some Taiwanese.

  1. ^ Ma Ying-jeou indicted, resigns as KMT chairman, 2007/2/13, Taipei Times
  2. ^ http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/103-no1.htm
  3. ^ http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/GA08Ak01.html
  4. ^ Mo Yan-chih. "Ma sorry for `administrative defects'", Taipei Times, 2006-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
  5. ^ Peter Enav. "Taiwanese opposition leader indicted", Boston.com, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  6. ^ Jewel Huang, Mo Yan-chih. "Ma accused of embezzlement", Taipei Times, 2006-08-03. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
  7. ^ Mo Yan-chih. "Ma questioned over donation records", Taipei Times, 2006-11-24. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
  8. ^ "KMT rejects, then accepts chairman's resignation", Taiwan Headlines, 2007-02-14. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  9. ^ "Ma Ying-jeou Talkasia Interview", CNN.com, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.

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Wikinews has News of his words on HIV issue:
Preceded by
Chen Shui-bian		 Mayor of Taipei
1998 - 2006		 Succeeded by
Hau Lung-pin
Preceded by
Lien Chan		 Chairman of the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang)
2005 - 2007		 Succeeded by
Chiang Pin-kung (interim)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/a/_/Ma_Ying-jeou_e416.html"
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