Media Coverage

Taiwan is a pretty small country, located pretty far away from the Czech Republic. No wonder that the coverage of Taiwanese events in Czech media is pretty weak. During the 7 weeks I've been here, I've noticed only 3 Taiwan-related reports in the Czech newspapers / radio. These were:

1. Typhoon Jangmi

2. Taiwan purchasing weapons from the U. S. and consequent protests from the People's Republic of China.

3. About half a million people protesting against the Taiwanese government and demanding for the president to step down, in Taipei just this Saturday. 

The last event got me thinking. While I have very little knowledge about the Taiwanese politics, my understanding is this: The political scene is essentially bipolar, the two leading parties being the Kuomintang (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). One of the main differences in their policies lies in the position towards the PRC / mainland China, and independence of Taiwan.

During my first visit to Taiwan in Fall 2006, there were massive protests going on, demanding the president of Taiwan at that time, Chen Shui Bian, to step down. Chen Shui Bian was a member of DPP, and the protesters were mostly KMT supporters.

Two years later, Fall 2008. I'm in Taiwan again, and once again, massive protests are happening, demanding the president to step down. Only this time, the president is Ma Ying Jiu of the KMT, and the protests are organized by DPP. 

I wonder if this idea catches on. The winning party will be happy to have their president in the office, while the losing party will be out in the streets protesting. Hopefully, the other candidate will win the next elections, so that the protesters can go home for a few years, while the other party comes out to do the protests.