Ma's democratic credentials queried - Taiwan

[dArKeR]

TRUE COLORS: According to analysts and political pundits, the Taipei mayor has opposed the nation's democratic reforms in the past and is still opposing them now

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (???) vocal opposition to President Chen Shui-bian's (???) proposed referendum is a reflection of his conservative political stance, poli-tical observers say.

"Looking back over the past few years, it's clear that the pan-blue camp's middle-generation elite -- such as Ma Ying-jeou and Jason Hu (???) -- tends to be more conservative when it comes to sensitive issues such as ethnicity, independence and unification, referendums and the like," said Chiu Hai-yuan (???), a professor of sociology at National Taiwan University.

Questioning the legality of Chen's planned March referendum, Ma on Tuesday described Chen as a "red-handed criminal in action."

Ma's rhetoric immediately drew a sharp response from Cabinet spokesman Lin Chia-lung (???), who said Ma's statement had "insanely insulted" the head of the nation.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/01/29/2003096609

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