First Lady as a Part-time Job

An unprecedented decision was made and Chow Mei-ching carries it out as if it is the most natural thing to do. She went back to her work as the head of legal department, Mega International Commercial Bank, after her husband Ma Ying-jeou was elected as the president of Taiwan in March 2008.

A typical wife of a Taiwanese politician is a helper to attract women's vote, a celebrity to generate publicity in soft news, a back-up if the guy gets jailed and fails to run the campaign, a hit man when the guy wants to attack his political enemy without dirtying his own hands, and Mother Teresa when the guy is troubled by extra-marital affairs. What's special about Chow Mei-ching is that she does none of the above.

Ma Ying-jeou has been in politics for all his life and has been the media darling since the early 90s, but Chow Mei-ching was absent in the media coverage until 2002. She turned down all the interviews, and the comments she made about Ma was hardly favorable: "undoubtedly he works hard; but he also has good looks and good luck and that helps a lot." "It seems that every woman in Taiwan idolizes Ma but he manages to marry someone who doesn't."

In the presidential campaign Chow couldn't avoid the media as much as she used to. In the final days of the campaign she stumped for Ma and kept low-profile: she said "thank you" to whatever questions the journalists raised. Yet she was portrayed by most media as sincere and modest for the fact that she shook hands with Ma's supporters and did 90-degree bow.

After Ma was elected as mayor of Taipei, Chow Mei-ching spent time finding a parking space every morning as a citizen, although as a spouse she has the right to get a parking permit. Now Ma is the president-elect and Chow chooses to live her life as a professional woman. Some people express their concern about the conflict of interest Chow might encounter, but Chow argues that she provides legal advise to the bank and there is no benefit involved.

According to the poll of Apple Daily, the newspaper with the second biggest readership in Taiwan, Chow's choice to continue her career is supported by 55.58% of the respondents, and the survey conducted by the United Daily confirms this trend with the supporting rate of 48%. It shows that women and the youngsters demonstrate stronger support. Even among those who voted against Ma, it is the majority opinion that Chow can keep her job if she wants.

Chow seals her marriage in the private arena and acts as if she doesn't remember having a husband with political power. She rejects to share what her husband has. By doing that, she makes a powerful statement that she is an individual who can not be reduced and belittled to a "wife", someone defined by her marital status. When she requests the public not to address her as "first lady" or "Madam Ma", it is an independent woman talking.

What Chow doesn't remember is what Hillary Clinton couldn't forget when she was first lady. Clinton used that opportunity to exercise the influence on policies despite the fact that it goes against the democratic principle of accountability. If the health care policy works, can we promote Hillary Clinton? When it failed, could we demote her? As first lady her influence on politics derived mainly and solely from her husband and that makes her the appendage, the second sex.

Hillary Clinton proves her capability and competence by running and winning the campaign as a senator. Her ambition in politics was interpreted as unconventional or even subversive, but as far as I am concerned, her achievement is shadowed by the compromises she made and the shortcut she took as first lady. A first lady later runs for presidency is no legend; a woman taking first lady as a part-time job, is the legend.

Relevant articles:
All the President's women
Chow Mei-ching: the career-minded first lady
Taiwan's prospective first lady sets an example

Technorati Tags:chow mei-ching, feminism, hillary, clinton, female politician, taiwan, asia, first lady, ma ying-jeou
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Read More......

Bothered

"Ernesto being who he was, was terribly bothered by what he had seen."

--"The True Story of Che Guevara", a documentary

Technorati Tags:che guevara,

Read More......

The American Hero

A Fistful of Dollars is a brief history of what the U.S. did and is still doing to the rest of the world. They enter a foreign little town, learn the politics and current antagonism. They set the two sides into serious fight to benefit from the conflict. Then they let the vicious eliminates the not-so-vicious. At the end they finish it off and feel good about themselves.

But Clint Eastwood-- is he handsome!

Technorati Tags:clint eastwood, western, a fistful of dollars,

Read More......

Audrey Hepburn and Social Capital

At first I know her as an icon of people growing up in the 60s, but I am too young for that. Until recently I got to watch her movies and know a little more about her than big eyes and bony face.

Love in the Afternoon, Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, How to Steal a Million, and Breakfast at Tiffany's; watched in that order. When I thought she could only do the elegant naive princess, there is the vulgar poor girl in My Fair Lady impressing everyone with her almost primitive, untamed strength. Yet no less adorable, desirable, lovable.

Contrary to the strength of Katherine Hepburn which comes from intellect and reasoning, Audrey Hepburn demonstrates the qualities that summon the good old days: innocence, trust, simplicity, faith in humanity. She opens up for strangers and the chance meetings all turn out to be a memorable encounter if not more. In almost each of the movies we see her wash her hair, brush her teeth, in pajama, ear plugs and blindfold. We as the audiences are not the only one who sees it; she does that in someone's presence in the scenes. She is unarmed... with make-up though.

I am doing readings about "social capital" for my thesis. Put in plain English, social capital is the trust among people that can be used to reduce cost by avoiding unnecessary conflict, or enhance productivity by cooperation and sharing. That's what Audrey Hepburn stands for: to overcome the social disguise, appeal to common decency, and come to a true connection.

A dream of everyone: harmony and reconciliation with the universe. In Chinese it can be expressed as "天人合一": sky/people/unite/one, meaning: the universe and the people are united as one. That's the ideal and here is the reality: Do the Katherine Hepburn thing every now and then but spare a place for Audrey Hepburn, in case the Eden is found.

who were so dark at heart they might not speak
a little innocence will make them sing

--e.e. cummings

Technorati Tags:audre hepburn, katherine hepburn, my fair lady, social capital, e.e. cummings

Read More......

Cats and Dogs

English is not my first language, so I experience funny feelings which result in wacky questions such as, "when you say 'pussycat' do you think of 'pussy'?"

Nobody does. But that's how I get to know this anecdote. An actress was on a talk show and she had her cat sitting on her lap. For a friendly conversation she said to the host, "do you want to pet my pussy?" The host replied with a straight face: "Sure! Move the cat."

Still, I can't get rid of the image of a dog in the word "underdog". Same thing happens when someone mentions "peacock".

I think of pea, of course.

Read More......

Fire in Germany

It was half past midnight and I picked up a smell of smoke. Walking around the apartment checking, I was sure that something was burning. I opened the door and there it was, misty white smoke in the stairway.

I went down to the third floor and rang the bell. "Fire," I said, and the black couple replied in German. I asked them to call the police. Only in recollection it occurred to me that the lady was half naked.

On the second floor, smoke squeezed out of a door but no one responded to the bell. I walked further down to wake up the first-floor neighbors and two ladies answered the door. "Fire," I said. They replied in German but I was not sure if they understood me. The smoke floated upward so there was nothing unusual at their door. "Smoke, smoke," I said. I left when they started to put on their coats.

All windows in the stairway were opened and a few neighbors kicked the unanswered door open. Smoke, more smoke happily welcomed us, and a flashlight didn't help too much. The police and the firemen came and took over. We waited on the pavement.

A stretcher was brought out, a smell of barbecue scented. Things were thrown out of the bedroom window: a comforter, a pillow, unidentifiable pieces and residues. I stared at the window of the second floor thinking, "No bus and no metro... If I am not allowed to go back in, I'll walk for ten minutes to wake Nandu up."

It turned out that Nandu was lucky. We got back to the building after forty minutes.

A friend later told me that "fire" sounds like "Feier" in German, meaning "party". I didn't know that I accidentally invited my neighbors to a midnight "Feier" with "smoke".

Read More......

Priyanka Leaving

Before leaving Germany, Priyanka came to stay with me for a few days then headed back home in Delhi. We got up at the interface of night and dawn, moving all the heaviness downstairs and sent them away. Leonard Cohen’s Alexandra Leaving haunted me in the head when we were in silence. And somehow the song stays.

“Say good-bye to Alexandra leaving
Say good-bye to Alexandra lost”

Alexandra Leaving is adapted from “The God Abandons Anthony”, a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy. Cavafy’s poem is about Markus Antonius’s last night in Alexandria, Egypt, knowing that the city would be taken by his enemy. In Cavafy’s depiction Anthony heard music and accepted his defeat “as if long prepared, as if courageous” when abandoned by his protector Dionysus. Leonard Cohen rewrites Cavafy’s poem and turns the city Alexandria into a woman Alexandra.

A woman left, a city lost. Alexandra Leaving starts with “suddenly the night has grown colder”, but that is not the case with Priyanka leaving. The spring arrives right after she left and it becomes brighter and warmer. No tears shed at the airport and life goes on in both Delhi and Hamburg. In my room there is still Leonard Cohen playing and on my book shelf there is still William Stafford standing.

There is nothing lost but something gained. The genuine conversation is still present in the room. That’s why things are better.
“We should have done this earlier,” said Priyanka.
“Yeah we should but we wouldn’t. We would only do this when you are leaving. If you leave in May we’ll do this in May.” And we laughed.

After a cigarette outside the airport (guess who is the one smoking), we came back to the end of the queue before the security and that’s where the departure began. “I’ll write to you and you can reply in your relaxed way… now I know you.” I laughed and she left.

“As someone long prepared for this to happen,
Go firmly to the window. Drink it in.
Exquisite music. Alexandra laughing.
Your firm commitments tangible again.”

Technorati Tags:leonard cohen, alexandra leaving, cavafy,

Read More......