Ma calls for new fisherman subsidies

Ma's on "Long Stay 2: The Sequel," so he obviously is doing lots of Southern type things. So naturally, he also talked to some fishermen in Chiayi today.

And he came up with a brilliant plan: just as farmers here are given a subsidy when their fields lay fallow, Ma decided fisherman could use a subsidy too for when ... well, he's not sure when, but some "appropriate time period." I guess when its not fishing season. He also hoped he could pay for 28% of the gas/oil ships use (in addition to the 20% of the oil cost the state already subsidies the whole country with).

Now trying to buy off special interests is standard fare for any election, but I find Ma's call particularly hypocritical since less than two weeks ago he called providing subsidies for certain industries "pretty much lying to get votes."

And speaking of lying to get votes (騙選票), a favorite phrase used by politicians on both sides of the aisle here, I found an interesting trend when Google News searching the phrase. Blues accuse greens of lying for votes on policies the blues themselves hate -- a new constitution, changing Taiwan's official name, referendum issues. It seems amazingly counter-productive to say your opponent's policy is terrible, awful, disastrous and immediately turn around and say, "well, he doesn't mean it."

In contrast, the greens accuse blues of lying for votes when greens support the policy -- democratic reform, anti-corruption measures, or loving Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水).