The vuvuzela was around long before the noisy World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Inspired originally by the kudu horn, aluminium versions were made in the 1960s and supporters of top SA football teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have used it for years. Now it has turned up in the far east in the Taiwanese elections. It has also shown up in Hong Kong at social rallies. Taiwan appears to have come of age in this election with a non-violent campaign and good outturn. The Kuomintang, which set up on the island six decades back, won again but with a reduced majority. Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou has pursued rappochement with the mainland which is completely at odds with the original party's raison d'etre. It is ironic that a vibrant 2-party state delivers a victor intent on rebuilding relations with the mainland, which itself is a country that does not allow elections. Chinese media coverage of the Taiwan elections was muted for the very reason that it does not want its people to track the process of democracy too closely. So instead of the mainland reclaiming the island one day as it hopes, maybe the island will reclaim the mainland - not with force but through fibre optics. The QSL is for a utility test transmission of the Chinese Government Radio Administration (Taiwan was still the Chinese representative at the United Nations until 1971), heard on 9975kHz USB in Cape Town way back in 1967. It was typed on beautiful onion skin paper.
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