My girlfriend told me, that those “loosers” now paying 1.500 NT$ per
day plus a bientang for everybody to stand up infront of president building.
That paid money was even higher, started at 5.000 NT$ (!!), and by mid
last week it has going down to 2.000 NT$.
People who are coming from outside Taipei are still offering 2.000 NT$
(still on a daily basis…)
Well, Lien is one of the most rich man on the island. The KMT is well known to be the most rich party on earth, thanx due to 5 decades of corruption. It is a very poor situation to pay for the demonstrations.
My information is very reliable. People from Kaoshiung go to Taipei
for the weekend just to collect the money (and doing shopping same time)
Now there is a president who is fighting against that system. Everything
is just getting back the power towards new corruption !!
I think it is an enormous sucess for Abian to reach around 50% of the votes. 4 years ago he profited because a 3 party system. Now there are
just 2 and he improved a lot …
My girlfriend feels ashame for the people of Taiwan. This is by far not a good picture showing towards the outside world.
I hope they recount very soon. I am sure it won`t change anything.
Unfortunately I am also sure, that Lien / Soong will never give up to
push Abian to step down.
I never heard any bigger protests from supporters of Abian. I really think,
just these people feels like really taiwanese citizien.
Last I want to wish the foreign community all the best and no riots.
Noone knows about China in the nearby future.
Good bless you all,
Timo
Yes, haven’t seen it yet. But it would let “protests” with “hundreds of thousands” appear in a slightly different light. I hope someone will pick this up, make sure about the exact figures (need to ask our students on Monday) and publish it.
Didn’t the DPP used to pay taxi drivers to park their cabs and protest somewhere in Taipei about seven or eight years ago? The drivers would show up, hang around for the afternoon or the whole day while someone went round noting license plates so they could collect their attendance pay. I remember reading that each driver would get about a NT$1000.
If, say, the Democratic Party paid for bus fare and fifty dollars a day to protest in front of the White House ($150 if they stayed to protest overnight), and kept a free Thanksgiving dinner running all day, the papers would definitely report that minor fact in their coverage of the protests. Everyone in Taiwan is aware that thousands of people are being paid to protest by the richest political party in the world. But instead in the coverage in foreign media it’s, “thousands showed up to peacefully protest the unfair electoral process, bla bla bla,” with no mention of the free buffet and hordes of cash flowing around.
It is normal pratice in Taiwan for transport to be laid on free for demonstrations in another town. It is also common for protestors to receive a free lunchbox (biandang). As for payment for attending, everyone says that about demonstrations for a cause they don’t like, but they don’t usually admit that it also happens on demos for causes they support. There was one demonstration where one of the organisers actually told me herself that some people were paid to attend so as to beef up the numbers and not look too pathetic compared with the other lot - who were probably paying people, too. The extra people were recruited by a gang - they were easy to spot. Also a lot of the paraphenalia available at rallies is free. For example, at the “Say No to China” rally in 1997, inflatable cushions where in theory being sold. In fact, they were bought in bulk by a rich supporter and given out free to the masses. Almost every one of the thousands of people at that rally had an identical T-shirt - also free, no doubt. Strangely, following the rally I only once saw anybody wearing that T-shirt. I have two - I wear them in bed.
It is a fact of political life in Taiwan that political activities are funded by a small elite - and they are also the ones who make the decisions. Politics here is high on patronage and corruption - low on spontaneity and democracy.
There is certainly a cultural aspect here of “pay me to do something” like attend a political rally – on every side. Having said that, it would have been less hypocritical if the pan-blues had not paid them, since one of the things they have been vocal against is corruption (sorry while I get over my belly-laugh ) and buying loyalty to this particular cause makes their argument weak (assuming they have a point in evidence).
Moreover, I think the trend that the DPP has been trying to cultivate, with some success, is not to accept this culture, thus the emphasis, and significant decline in vote-buying.
I have an interesting essay about the natures of the two camps regarding their “personalities,” but I am too tired to write it…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Exactly. The DPP have been quite vocal to supporters that vote buying is a thing of the past (sure they may have done it in the past). Biendang is still offered but no cash.
Interesting demarcation. I’d agree that the begining and the “promoted” part to the participates is a rally in support of a cause, but by the end of it, the remnants have turned the event into a protest, and one without much beyond blind, omnidirectional ire.
) and buying loyalty to this particular cause makes their argument weak (assuming they have a point in evidence).
