AP News, January 30th, 2008
The Taiwanese presidential front-runner's past residency status in the United States has become a top election issue, with his opponent charging that he tried to cover it up and questioning his loyalty to the island.
Ma Ying-jeou did not tell the whole truth about his efforts to secure permanent U.S. residency for himself and his family, the camp of ruling Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh claimed Wednesday.
On Monday, Ma, the Nationalist candidate, acknowledged that he and his wife once held permanent residency status in the U.S. but insisted it had since lapsed.
He said it did not affect his loyalty to Taiwan and was obtained in 1977 to give him the opportunity to work in the United States.
The admission came after Ma, a former Taipei mayor, had earlier declared that he did not have a U.S. residency card.
On Wednesday, Hsieh spokesmen Sky Chao accused Ma of not telling the complete truth and of planning to seek U.S. citizenship.
Obtaining permanent residency status "is the prelude to becoming a U.S. national," he said. "Why did he obtain (the status) when the country was at a critical time?"
Chao was referring to Taiwan's delicate diplomatic situation in the late 1970s, just before the United States transferred its official recognition from the island to mainland China, from which Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949.
Responding to Chao's comments, Ma said that although some family members — including his sisters — had U.S. citizenship, his own feelings for Taiwan remained strong.
"Although (my sisters) have U.S. passports, they love Taiwan," he said. "My own loyalty to Taiwan does not have a problem."
Despite the controversy, Ma remains a heavy favorite to win the March 22 presidential election.
The winner will succeed Chen Shui-bian, whose confrontational approach toward China is believed to have played a key role in the DPP's defeat by the Nationalists in legislative elections earlier this month.
Both Ma and Hsieh have a more moderate approach toward Beijing than Chen.
