Anti-Ma protests scheduled for Sept. 29

POWER TO THE PEOPLE:：The demonstrations will not serve as a platform for certain politicians or celebrities, but will give the public a chance to speak out, organizers said

By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

Several civic groups have called on the public to join demonstrations against President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Sept. 29 as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) holds its 19th National Congress in Taipei.
“We hereby invite all citizens who are dissatisfied with the government or unhappy with our national leader to stand up and voice their frustrations on Sept. 29,” journalist Ge Shu-jen (葛樹人) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
“We need some force to move our society forward,” Ge added.
The demonstration organized by Ge is to include a march from the intersection of Renai and Anhe roads, near the MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua station in Taipei, followed by a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.
Although the demonstration would call on Ma to step down as KMT chairman and to apologize as the president, Ge said that he does not want to take sides in the recent political row between Ma and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
“We will not invite any politicians or celebrities to take the podium. Rather, every citizen taking part in the demonstration will be given a minute to speak on stage,” Ge said.
Meanwhile, the National Alliance for Workers of Closed Factories will also stage a protest outside the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, where the KMT’s National Congress is to take place.
To promote the event, members of the alliance have given out moon cakes and pomelos on the streets of Taipei.
“Besides workers, activists against urban renewal projects and land expropriations, as well as some of the victims of such projects will take part,” alliance spokeswoman Chen Hsiu-lien (陳秀蓮) said.
“We will wear black and march around Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall while holding placards with the Chinese character for ‘fuck,’” she said.
In the south of the nation, the Southern Taiwan Society — along with several other groups — are also slated to organize a rally against Ma in Kaohsiung on Sept. 29.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesman Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) and Taiwan Nation Alliance president Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) said yesterday that their respective organizations would invite members and supporters to take part in demonstrations against Ma.
“Different groups are organizing anti-Ma protests on Sept. 29 with different appeals. These events aim to show how dissatisfied Taiwanese are with the Ma administration’s performance and policies,” Lin said.
“Unfortunately, Ma never contemplates what he is doing wrong and how he is upsetting the public,” Lin added.
Yao said Ma was misinterpreting his role as president.
“As president, Ma should defend the nation’s sovereignty, protect the public and improve the nation’s economy so that Taiwanese may have better lives,” Yao said.
“Unfortunately, Ma insists on taking Taiwan toward unification with China,” Yao added.