VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3876/01 3200814
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160814Z NOV 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3054
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5939
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7158

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIPEI MAYOR MA YING-JEOU 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major dailies all gave significant reporting 
and editorial coverage November 16 to Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, who 
apologized Wednesday for his office's administrative defects in 
handling the special mayoral allowance.  Most papers front-paged 
Ma's apology and devoted several of their inside pages to more 
detailed reports on the flaws in Ma's office's reimbursement 
procedures, the reactions of the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps to the 
development of this event, and the impact of this event on Ma, his 
political future, and on the upcoming Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral 
elections.  The pro-unification "United Daily News" also front-paged 
the results of its latest survey, which showed that 58 percent of 
those polled said they believe in Ma's integrity, and 65 percent 
said they do not think Ma needs to resign.  An "Apple Daily" poll 
also showed that 63.47 percent of respondents believe that Ma need 
not resign, since he had no prior knowledge of the administrative 
flaws in his office. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, editorials in both the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest-circulation 
daily, and the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" both called on 
prosecutors to use the same criteria to examine President Chen 
Shui-bian and Ma.  An editorial in the limited-circulation, 
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" also decried the 
double standard applied to Chen versus to Ma. An editorial in the 
pro-status quo "China Times" urged Ma to see President Chen's case 
as a mirror and deal with the affair proactively.  A "United Daily 
News" editorial lamented the rough state of Taiwan's democratic 
development and said justice should be upheld in this severe 
constitutional crisis.  End summary. 
 
A) "Prosecutors Should Use the Same Criterion to Examine Chen 
Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (11/16): 
 
"... The public will focus its attention on the follow-on political 
impact triggered by Ma's case.  Whether or not the prosecutors will 
use the same criterion to investigate this and other similar cases 
will be a test for the credibility of Taiwan's judiciary, and it 
will be closely monitored by the Taiwan people. ...  Since Ma is 
deeply mired in the scandals, it is foreseeable that the statements 
made by the pan-Blue camp over the past few months to abuse and 
insult President Chen Shui-bian will come back to haunt them.  Even 
though these may be the undesirable consequences of an eye for an 
eye in Taiwan's political circle, we still believe that on top of 
this political phenomenon, the Taiwan people should pay more 
attention to the topic of how to fulfill 'transitional justice.' 
..." 
 
B) "Same Criterion for Bian and Ma" 
 
The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 500,000] 
editorialized (11/16): 
 
"... Both Chen Shui-bian's case and Ma Ying-jeou's case must be 
examined using the same criteria.  This is the highest principle of 
law.  The public should also use the same criteria to judge these 
two cases, because this is a moral principle.  ..." 
 
C) "Different Rules for Different Folks" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (11/16): 
 
"... The double standard is brazen.  Ma called Chen's behavior 
'corruption' and demanded the president step down.  When caught 
doing the same thing, he dismisses the case as administrative 
negligence. ...  The truth of the matter is that both the mayoral 
expense fund and the 'state affairs fund' are indicative of an era 
when public money was used with impunity.  The rules governing these 
funds are out of date in today's democratic environment.  But until 
the legal structures are fixed, let's hold Ma up to his own 
standards of morality:  Mayor Ma, you were caught with your hand in 
the cookie jar.  Maybe you should consider stepping down." 
 
D) "Ma Ying-jeou Should See Chen Shui-bian as a Mirror" 
 
The pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (11/16): 
 
"... As it stands now, for Ma Ying-jeou, he had better use Chen 
Shui-bian as a mirror, and the best crisis management for him is to 
confront the issue; do not dodge, do not tell lies to cover up 
negligence and, moreover, do not try to think about loss and gains 
for [the presidential elections in] 2008.  At this moment, it is up 
to the prosecutors' investigation to determine the crime and 
punishment [for Ma] on the legal aspect, but on the political 
aspect, it hinges on public opinion and trends to determine [Ma's] 
 
crime and punishment.  Ma's only choice is that his words and deeds 
must be worthy of his conscience, and this is something that 
Taiwan's political circle is short of." 
 
E) "What If Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Shui-bian Both Will Face 'Initial 
Trial'" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (11/16): 
 
"... We want to emphasize again:  Maintaining justice will be upheld 
as the highest principle in this constitutional crisis.  Taiwan 
people should use this criterion to examine other political figures' 
reactions to Bian's case and to Ma's case.  Chen's case is one 
thing, while Ma's case is another; each has its own separate 
political responsibility.  One must not use Ma's case to invalidate 
Chen's; neither should one use Chen's case to cover up Ma's. ..." 
 
YOUNG