(Sign at Shandao Temple MRT Station - Rule of Law, King or Pawn)
President Ma is, according to this report, concerned that the term ECFA might cause misunderstanding and prevent the public from properly understanding the meaning and content of the agreement:
The term used so far for the proposed cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement or "ECFA" is an abbreviation in English of the trade deal.Aside from Ma's operationalisation of the 'Chinese' as another not so subtle reminder to Taiwanese that they are Chinese first, my main concern with Ma's comments is that they have a patriarchal aroma to them: 'My subjects do not see my greatness as they lack understanding and are easily scared by shadows and those who seek to undermine my great project. If we simplify the name, by making it longer, we can avoid the problems of foreign intervention by imperialist acronyms in Zhonghua Minzu affairs, and the public will more readily learn to appreciate the glory I bestow upon them through my humble sacrifice'.
Since the term is just an acronym, it would be too difficult for the mainly Chinese-speaking Taiwanese public to figure out what it is for, and therefore, a new and simple Chinese Term "Liang An Jing Ji Xie Yi" -- which means cross-strait economic agreement -- could be used to sell the trade deal with China, Ma said at the weekly meeting of the ruling Kuomintang's Central Standing Committee.
Ma's words were relayed by KMT Spokesman Lee Chien-jung after the meeting.
Or am I reading way too much into it?
