Ma Ying-jeou and Obama

Both are young, handsome, and charismatic. Both are graduates of Harvard Law School. Both are political stars. Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, is an idol and symbol for change. Ma, the former mayor of Taipei, represents the younger generation of the old Kuomintang which lost power in 2000.

There are differences, too. Obama, unlike Ma, is not yet a presidential candidate. His battle for the Democratic presidential nomination has just begun. It’s anybody’s guess whether he will beat Sen. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards to become the standard bearer of the Democratic Party.

But it is their similarities that are interesting. Obama is an African-American. The color of his skin is an unspoken issue detrimental to his campaign. Likewise, Ma Ying-jeou is a mainlander. The origin of his birth place is an unspoken issue that is his liability. Ma is sometimes taunted as “Hong Kong foot,” because he was born in Hong Kong.

Obama, 46, is conducting an issue-based campaign, championing the cause of change. He loathes mudslinging and personal attacks. His decency has cost him dearly. In New Hampshire, for instance, Hillary’s tears beat him flat. In Nevada, he was unfairly attacked by the Hillary camp, including Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton, for his position on the war in Iraq.

Ma Ying-jeou, like Obama, is also campaigning on issues — the economy, cross-strait relations. He focuses on issues that the concern voters the most: economic prosperity, political stability, peace and security. He wants to preserve Taiwan’s status quo by calling for “no unification, no independence, and no use of force.” He knows that peace and prosperity are what the people in Taiwan are longing for. But, Ma is attacked, without the support of facts, the idea that he wants to make Taiwan another Hong Kong, and himself the “chief executive.”

Both Obama and Ma are following their own way, which they believe is the right way. Whether they are right will be known in March and November, in Taiwan and the United States, respectively.

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