Taiwanese politics is intriguing and fast-changing. Outsiders may not be surprised that the US government keeps pressuring President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to soft-pedal his move to "cease the function" of the National Unification Council and "cease the application" of the National Unification Guidelines. But they might be surprised by the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) embrace of independence as an option for Taiwanese people -- which it did in an advertisement in the Liberty Times.
The right to hold national referendums was long considered by the KMT as a political taboo and analogous to de jure independence. But on Sept. 23, 2004, the party seconded the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's proposal to include the right to referendum in future constitutional reform. Now KMT members raise the idea of holding referendums to decide key government issues.
Now that the democratic value of "letting the people decide" has begun to take root in Taiwan, the gap between the pan-green and pan-blue camps on the independence-unification dichotomy will become increasingly meaningless. The notion that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country will become the common ground in Taiwanese politics.
As a result, Taiwanese will be able to judge a national leader with more scrutiny.
As perhaps the most popular politician in Taiwan today, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) recent handling of the unification council and guidelines issue and his wavering stance on unification or independence reveals a lack of decisiveness and integrity.
Chen is judged by many as a politician who criss-crosses the political spectrum and pushes the envelope in cross-strait affairs. It is sad to see that Ma is incrementally adopting the A-bian model -- which is to think of running a country as like running a campaign.
Ma's unilateral decision to make independence an option for the KMT reflects a typical one-man decision, with little or no consultation even within his own party.
Former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) expressed his objection to such a proposal. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who suggested accepting independence as an option for Taiwan during the KMT chairmanship election, also challenged Ma's one-man decision-making style.
From the perspective of Taiwan's democratic consolidation, for the KMT to respect the people's right to decide their own fate and future relationship with China is a great leap forward. However, whether Ma is sincere in respecting the people's right to freedom of choice remains in doubt.
To avoid being seen as tilting too much toward Beijing, Ma's camp has attempted to use the debate on Chen's proposal to abolish the unification council and guidelines to attract pro-independence voters.
As the most popular potential candidate for the pan-blue camp in the 2008 presidential race, Ma has no choice but to reveal his stance on cross-strait relations. Regretfully, Ma's recent remarks on Taiwan's "status quo" and its relations with China demonstrate a lack of recognition of the cross-strait reality, as well as disrespect for democratic principles.
To keep in step with public opinion, Ma chose to take the heat now, regardless of the pressure he might face from within his own party. People can be expected to back Ma for the next presidency if he continues with this approach.
But is Ma really doing all of this out of concern for the national interest? Can he counter the pro-unification forces from the pan-blue camp? Or is Ma an opportunist politician who only has his eyes on stealing votes from the DPP?
The voters will decide.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS