lost all three legislative seats in the by-elections last Saturday, which was another major setback for the party after its lackluster performance in the Dec. 5 three-in-one elections. How could Ma, who received more than 7 million votes in the 2008 presidential election, fall so quickly from his political idol status? To be frank, the setback of the Ma administration could not be counted as the victory of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP, even though it managed to increase its seats to 30 in the 113-seat legislature, still is not a big power to reckon with. Consequently, the KMT was only defeated by itself. The pathetic thing is that Ma is still ignorant of the public will after a spate of setbacks. He would not acknowledge defeat in the wake of the Dec. 5 elections, saying only that it was less than ideal. He showed no reflection or remorse, but only apologized to supporters. The mainstream views of Taiwan are crystal clear. The public has repeatedly rejected Ma's China-tilt policy and his incompetence in dealing with economic problems and lack of good governance through their ballots. 