Yiin apologizes for an offensive ECFA manga

The comic strip, published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), depicts a dolt being enlightened by a female smart-aleck polyglot on the pact Taipei wants to sign with Beijing — an act that is considered a sellout of Taiwan by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Cheng Wen-tsan, DPP spokesman, blasted Yiin for putting out the manga, which he characterized as “racist,” “class-conflicting” and “insulting the people of Tainan.”

Su Huan-jih, magistrate of Tainan, and DPP lawmaker Yeh Yi-tsin joined Cheng in demanding that Yiin apologize.

They believe the nincompoop, named Yi-ge (First Brother), is a native of Tainan, who speaks Mandarin with a heavy Hoklo accent, can't even express himself clearly, and opposes the ECFA.

The suave polyglot is believed to be a Hakka, who elucidates First Brother on the importance of the pact. She is called Fa-sao (Lady Rich).

Combined, Yi-ge and Fa-sao, if the last word sao is dropped, approximate “Echo-huat” in Hoklo, which means “a better chance again to get rich,” and which also approximates the pronunciation of “ECFA”.

At first, Yiin refused to apologize. He even said those who oppose the ECFA as being “too ideologically correct.” The DPP is deadly opposed to anything to do with the People's Republic of China.

He also warned against politicizing the innocent cartoon.

But as pressure continued to mount, Yiin offered his apology yesterday.

He told the press, “I would like to offer my apology if the manga offends the people of Tainan and some other people.”

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