Weibo users gaze with envy across the straits at Taiwan's one man one vote system

This picture of a voting slip used in the Taiwan 2012 election was retweeted more than 2,000 times on Sina Weibo.

Author Qin Biaoxi (覃彪喜):

When I saw Sinopec's 12 million RMB chandelier, I was not jealous; When I saw Guo Meimei's Maserati, I was not jealous; When I saw the 3,000 square metre luxury apartment bought by the former chief engineer Zhou Shuguang of the Ministry of Railways in the US, I was not jealous; When I saw that the former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun had been sleeping with actresses from the Dream of the Red Mansion, I was not jealous; When I saw the son of an official trample upon the law saying "My dad is Li Gang", I was not jealous; When I saw the people of Taiwan elect their own president under a one-man-one-vote system, I was jealous.

看到中石化1200万的吊灯，我没有嫉妒；看到郭美美的玛莎拉蒂，我没有嫉妒；看到原铁道部总工程师张曙光在美国3000平米的豪宅，我没有嫉妒；看到原铁道部部长刘志军依法临幸红楼梦女演员，我没有嫉妒；看到官二代用一句“我爸是李X”秒杀一切法律，我没有嫉妒；看到台湾同胞一人一票选总统，我嫉妒了。

Traveller and cyclist @行者谭迁:

When Ma Ying-jeou got elected, his wife Zhou Meiqing resigned from her position as Megabank director, his sister Ma Yinan quit from her post as Deputy General Manager of China Chemical & Pharmaceutical Co, and his brother-in-law Zhou Weiqi resign from his job as director of United LPG, all because they wanted to avoid suspicion of conflict of interest. Their total combined monthly salary was at least RMB850,000. To uphold fairness and justice and to avoid being caught in compromising situations, they laid it all down. Compare all that with the cronyism and nepotism on the mainland.

马英九当选之后，妻子周美青辞去兆丰银行董事，大姐马以南辞去中国化学制药副总经理，周美青的二哥周伟奇为了避免产生利益衝突疑虑，辞去联合液化石油气董事的工作。马英九夫人、舅子及大姐3人月薪加起来少说至少85 万，为维护公平正义，避免瓜田下李，他们坚决放弃了。看看我们的一人当道鸡犬升天...

Author Murong Xuecun (慕容雪村):

If it's at all possible to assign scores for democracy, then today's Taiwan is probably a lot more democratic than many of the more established democracies of the world. These people are like you and I -- yellow skinned, brown-eyed, speak Mandarin, and eat Chinese food. Those people that think democracy is not suitable for the Chinese people can now shut up. Those people that say democracy is not possible because the Chinese people are not well-educated enough, or that China is too unique for it, can now shut up. Those people that are still going on about how socialism is superior -- please, either go to North Korea for a taste of real socialism, or shut up.

如果民主可以分度数，那么今日台湾要比许多老牌民主国家更民主，这些人和你我一样，黄皮肤，黑眼睛，讲中文，吃中餐，那些认为民主不适合中国人的，可以闭嘴了；那些以素质论、国情论来否定民主的，可以闭嘴了；那些仍在坚持社会主义优越性之说的，要么去朝鲜体验一下真正的社会主义，要么可以闭嘴了。

Hong Kong-based Phoenix Media @凤凰东方传媒：

In one of Ma Ying-jeou's rallies, he said, "If everyone just wanted to take from the nation without giving back, how will this country see better days ahead? If everyone were corrupt, would this nation be strong? Wherever I go, I have rejected special treatment. Wherever I go, I eat out of my own pocket, and out of my own expenses. If I take your car, I'll pay you for the cab ride; If I stay at your hotel, I'll pay you for the accommodation; If I eat at your restaurant, I'll pay you for the meal. I won't take a single cent from this country." Is there any official on the mainland that dares to say the same thing?

马英九在竞选演讲中公开说：“如果人人都在想吃国家、拿国家的，这个国家怎么会好呢？人人都想贪污、腐败，这国家会强大吗？我走到哪里，绝对拒绝招待。我走到哪里吃自己用自己的，坐你的汽车给车钱，住你的旅馆给你旅馆钱，吃你的饭给饭钱，绝对不沾国家一毛钱。”大陆哪个高官敢这样说呢？

Private investment banker Wang Ran @王冉：

Look at Taiwan and think about the future. Democracy does not require a 90% turnout rate. Neither does it need well-educated voters who do not spit. Nor does it need to be accomplished overnight. At a certain stage, you don't even need multiple parties. It only requires two things to function: freedom of the press, and more than one choice. It may not be the best system, it may not be the fairest system, and it may not guarantee economic prosperity. But it gives every citizen the power to avoid the worst outcome.

近看台湾，遥想未来。民主不需要90%的投票率，不需要所有投票者都有学历并且不随地吐痰，不需要一蹴而就，在某个阶段甚至不一定需要多个政党，它只需要两件事：新闻自由和多于一项的选择。它很可能不是一个最好的制度，也不一定百分之百公平，更不保证经济发达，它仅仅是让每一个公民有机会避免最坏。

Zuoyeben @作业本：

In the re-election of Ma Ying-jeou, 18 million Taiwan voters were co-stars, while another 1.3 billion mainland residents became a captivated and openly envious audience. The shouts of democracy and election that have rung day and night are like a big tight slap across our face, one that leaves our cheeks burning and our ears ringing. There is hope for democracy on the mainland. Come, everybody, let's talk about democracy and elections on Sina, Tencent, NetEase and Sohu.

马英九当选，一千八百万台湾公民的联合主演，十三亿大陆人民作为观众看的直呼过瘾并公开羡慕，日日夜夜呼喊的民主、选举……像一个巴掌，扇的人脸上火辣辣地疼，脑子里嗡嗡作响……大陆的民主还是有希望的嘛，来吧，让我们继续在新浪、在腾讯、在网易、在搜狐……谈论民主谈论选举吧……

Beijing Film Academy professor and social critic Cui Weiping (崔卫平)：

Even if you don't have the vote in your hand, you're not completely without choice. If you can't elect your own leader, you can still choose how you will live. You can choose to live your life with dignity, reason and responsibility. You have your eyes, your mouth, your heart, your stand and your judgement. China's future has everything to do with the next step that your feet will take.

即使手中没有选票，你也不是完全没有选择。不能选一个领导人，但是可以选择自己的生活，让自己的生活变得富有尊严、富有理性和有责任感。你有自己的眼睛，有自己的口与心，有自己的立场和判断。中国的未来，不可能离开你脚下的道路。