Jerome F. Keating floats an important campaign issue for Taiwan's 2008 presidential election

Transitional Justice

Using an allegory in which an "unwanted relative" illustrates the real-life situation involving Taiwan, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and their 2008 presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) (currently under indictment for abusing his personal allowance while mayor of Taipei), Jerome paints the bitter picture of Taiwan's recent history.

Here's a brief excerpt:

Transitional justice needs to be a campaign issue for 2008. Ma had promised in 2005 that he would divest the KMT of its "ill gotten gains." So far he has simply sold a few assets and put the money in the KMT's already bulging coffers. The numbers are there; the KMT remains one of the richest parties in the world; Taiwan remains in need of its state assets. Perhaps a brief allegorical tale is in order. It is the Tale of the Unwanted Relative.

The tale begins. A distant relative who has been fighting with his brother in a long battle for possession of their home invades your home and imposes on your hospitality. He tells you he has come to liberate you from your past. For four years (1945-49) he rapes your daughters, takes your sons to fight his battles and pillages your family heritage and your family's home to support his losing effort to retain his own home. At the end of the four years, your home is devastated, he has lost and so he decides to move back in with you.

Go read the rest.

Jerome was also at this past Saturday's International Conference on the Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice. Be sure to take a look at what he had to say about that as well.

David Reid of David on Formosa was also in attendance at the conference. Be sure to check out his take on the event.

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People, places, and things: Taiwan, 台灣, Jerome Keating, 祁夫潤, Ma Ying-jeou, 馬英九, transitional justice, 轉型正義

Cross-posted at It's Not Democracy, It's A Conspiracy!