My Take | Decision to bar Ma Ying-jeou from visiting Hong Kong a slap in the face for democracy in Taiwan
Island’s new leader Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has given absurd reasons for denying his request to speak at – how ironic! – media awards ceremony
Beijing went berserk when Tsai Ing-wen delivered her inauguration speech as Taiwan’s new president without mentioning the “1992 consensus”, the basis of a tacit cross-strait understanding that acknowledges there is only “one China”.
For that, many critics in Hong Kong and overseas have rounded on Beijing for being a bully. Now, it increasingly looks like its suspicions about Tsai are justified.
Her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou, former head of the more Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, had barely left office when her government decided to humiliate him by barring him from visiting Hong Kong to attend an award presentation event with the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa). Ma was scheduled to speak on cross-strait and East Asian relations at the dinner ceremony tomorrow night.
Among the absurd reasons cited for the rejection are: the request was made at short notice; the lack of security arrangements between Taiwan and Hong Kong; and the danger of security leaks because Ma has not been properly debriefed by the new government.
Besides rubbing salt on open wounds, Tsai’s office says Ma can always take part in the ceremony via video conferencing. Do her aides seriously think Ma might be in danger of being kidnapped or otherwise voluntarily spill the beans on Taiwan’s government secrets in Hong Kong?