Legislative by-elections will be held in the four counties of Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Chiayi and Hualien Feb. 27. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) presently has 74 seats in the legislature, compared with the 30 seats held by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. In the face of this huge imbalance in the legislature in his favor, why is President Ma Ying-jeou, who doubles as KMT chairman, making such all-out efforts to stump for KMT candidates? His extreme uneasiness can be traced to his keen desire to have more of his people in the legislature to rubberstamp his 'China-tilt' policy. We know that policy toward China is the most sensitive issue in Taiwan, and one that requires an internal consensus prior to earning public trust. But whether it has been signing agreements with China, amending laws or administrative orders, the Ma administration has conducted all of them in closed-door meetings and has refused to countenance even the minimum of legislative supervision. It should be clear now why Ma is putting aside his duties as the nation's president and is so busy stumping for his men prior to the elections. (Feb. 23, 2010) 