President Ma Ying-jeou

 

Birth:
Hong-Kong, July 13, 1950

Education:
1981 S.J.D., Harvard Law School
1976 LL.M., New York University
1972 LL.B., National Taiwan University

Experience:
2005-2007 Chairman, Kuomintang
1998-2006 Mayor, Taipei City
1998           Professor of Law, National Chengchi University
1996-1997 Minister without Portfolio
1993-1996 Minister of Justice
1991-1993 Deputy Minister of Mainland Affairs Council
1988-1991 Minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission
1981-1988 Deputy Director, First Bureau, Office of the President
1981           Associate Lawyer, Cole and Deits (New York)
1981           Research Consultant, University of Maryland School of Law
1980-1981 Legal Consultant, First National Bank of Boston

 

Biography of President Ma Ying-jeou

On May 20, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated President of the Republic of China (ROC). During the presidential election, Ma campaigned on a platform to revive Taiwan's flagging economy and restore the core values of its society, namely that of benevolence, righteousness, diligence, honesty, generosity, and industriousness. On Election Day, Ma secured a landslide victory, winning 58.5 percent of the vote, a total of 7.65 million ballots. This election represented Taiwan's second peaceful transfer of political power, marking a milestone in the island's democratic development. Upon taking office, Ma immediately worked to carry through on his campaign promises: implement measures to bolster the economy and initiate talks with mainland China, thus paving the way to peace across the Taiwan Strait.

 

Family

Even though Ma was born in Hong Kong on July 13, 1950, he and his family permanently moved to Taiwan a year later, and have since been living on the island for nearly 60 years. In a family of five children, Ma Ying-jeou is the only male sibling. Ma's father, Ma Ho-ling, was originally from Hengshan County in Hunan Province on the mainland. From his early years, the elder Ma was already deeply involved in patriotic activities: joining the Youth Army and fighting in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Throughout his lifetime, Ma Ho-ling had dedicated himself to his government and country. He had served in various positions and capacities in the Kuomintang (KMT) party and government since winning the war against Japan in 1945 until his death at the age of 85 in 2005. Ma Ying-jeou's mother, Chin Hou-hsiu, having equally devoted her life to the government, is now a retired civil servant. In 1977, Ma Ying-jeou married Chou Mei-ching. They have two daughters: Ma Wei-chung and Ma Yuan-chung. The smallest addition to their family is an adopted stray dog affectionately called Ma Hsiao-jeou (Little Ma).

 

Education

Ma Ying-jeou graduated from Taiwan's foremost academic institution, National Taiwan University, in 1972, receiving a bachelor's degree from the College of Law. After earning a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University in 1976, Ma received a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School in 1981, specializing in law of the sea and international economic law.

 

Political Career

Upon returning to the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1981, Ma became Deputy Director of the First Bureau of the Presidential Office. In this post, he served as President Chiang Ching-kuo's English interpreter and secretary. He was concurrently Deputy Secretary-General of the KMT's Central Committee. In 1986, he was assigned by President Chiang the heavy task of researching the possibility of lifting martial law, relaxing cross-Strait exchanges such as permitting residents in Taiwan to visit their mainland relatives, and reforming the parliament.

 

On October 7, 1986, President Chiang granted an interview to The Washington Post, in which the interviewer was Katherine Graham. During the interview, Chiang announced that Taiwan would be lifting martial rule and the ban on forming new political parties. This event marked a momentous turning point in Taiwan's democratic development. Serving as the president's English secretary, Ma Ying-jeou was witness to this historic milestone in Chinese civilization.

 

In 1988, Ma Ying-jeou was appointed Chairman of the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan. Concurrently, he was also assigned to form a Mainland Affairs Council Taskforce and subsequently became the body's executive secretary. Three years later, Ma was appointed to the newly established Mainland Affairs Council, becoming its first-ever vice chairperson while concurrently serving as a KMT representative-at-large in the Second National Assembly.

 

In 1993, Ma Ying-jeou was appointed Minister of Justice, in which post he launched an aggressive campaign to fight against corruption and drugs, investigated allegations of vote-buying, cracked down on organized crime, and reformed the prison system. Ma's dedication gained him the respect of his peers and that of society, becoming popularly viewed as a champion of justice. In 1996, Ma was appointed Minister without Portfolio, however. No longer in charge of fighting crime, the following year Ma nevertheless resigned to take responsibility for a series of heinous crimes, notably the kidnapping and brutal murder of Pai Hsiao-yan, the daughter of a famous Taiwanese entertainer. He later returned to teach law at the College of Law, National Chengchi University.

 

Taipei Mayor and KMT Chairman

In 1998, Ma Ying-jeou joined the hotly contested race for Taipei Mayor. This was the first time Ma ran for an elective position and faced the scrutiny of public opinion. Campaigning on a platform built on technocratic expertise and a fresh outlook, Ma won the election with 51.13 percent, or 760,000 ballots. Four years later, he secured a second term in office, winning 870,000 ballots, or 64.11 percent of the vote. During his eight-year tenure as Taipei Mayor, Ma succeeded in transforming Taipei into a world-class cosmopolitan city. Many domestic and international polls have frequently ranked Taipei as among the top-quality cities in the region.

 

In 2005, Ma Ying-jeou ran for the KMT chairmanship. He put forth a roadmap to reform the party's social and organizational structures and revitalize its image. Ma's message for change attracted the strong support of young and swing voters, in the end securing him a landslide victory of 73 percent of the vote.

 

Special Allowance Fund

On February 13, 2007, Ma was indicted on corruption charges in connection with a special allowance fund that was under his discretionary use during his tenure as Taipei Mayor. In response to these charges, Ma immediately issued a statement entitled "Turning Grief and Indignation into Strength," in which he tendered his resignation as KMT party chairman and officially announced that he would join the presidential race in 2008.

 

In the days following this event, media polls showed that over 70 percent of respondents believed in Ma's innocence. In August and December of 2007, both the Taipei District Court and Taiwan High Court ruled that Ma was innocent of all charges. This decision was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court on April 24, 2008, marking a definitive victory for Ma Ying-jeou.

 

Presidential Election Campaign

Upon announcing his presidential candidacy, Ma campaigned tirelessly to reach the people. He launched a tour of the entire island, biking to countless towns and villages and living among the people in what the media coined Ma's "Long Stay." His sincerity, positive campaigning style and technocratic expertise and experience won him the support of Taiwan's grassroots. On March 22, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou became the duly elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

 

Presidency

On May 20, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated as the 12th-term President of the Republic of China. In his inaugural speech entitled "Taiwan's Renaissance," Ma pledged to restore the political ethics of government, bolster the independence of civil society, and build an economically viable environment based on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation. In addition, creating an open and just society has become the cornerstone of the new Ma administration, in which the underprivileged and destitute will receive equal opportunities in society. Finally, Ma Ying-jeou fully intends to honor and execute the articles inscribed in the ROC Constitution to the utmost extent possible.

 

On foreign policy, Ma Ying-jeou is committed to deepening Taiwan's global political and economic integration, as well as strengthening regional cooperation and bilateral ties with neighboring countries, whereby he envisions transforming Taiwan into a responsible stakeholder in East Asia. Regarding cross-Strait relations, Ma Ying-jeou has been promoting the policy of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force." In particular, he advocates maintenance of the status quo under the framework of the ROC Constitution and resumption of mainland negotiations based on the "92 Consensus." Ma calls for Taiwan and the mainland to reconcile their differences in cross-Strait relations and in the international community, so that both sides can pursue win-win strategies that will contribute to the peaceful development of the region.

 

Ma Ying-jeou also extends his sincere condolences to the family members of those victims of the Sichuan earthquake and whole-heartedly wishes for the speedy recovery of the area and its people. He hopes that the people of mainland China can experience the same freedoms of democracy and equality as enjoyed on this side of the Taiwan Strait.

 

Ma Ying-jeou intends to uphold those ideals that best embody the essence of Taiwan's spirit—integrity, benevolence, righteousness, diligence, tolerance, and valor. The new Ma administration envisions creating a government in which the economic and political prosperity of the island and the livelihoods of the people come first and foremost.