The campaign to oust the president has had repercussions beyond the pan-green camp, as opposition party diehards began attacking their own chairman over the issue.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came under fire yesterday from party members who accused him of keeping the upcoming protests aimed at removing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) at arm's length to benefit his own agenda.
"Ma's weak attitude toward the [anti-Chen] campaign will surely hurt pan-blue supporters and make them angry," KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said yesterday, referring to Ma's refusal, in his role as Taipei mayor, to approve a permit for a round-the-clock sit-in.
Lin's remarks came after former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-teh (
"On one hand, Ma let everyone know that he donated NT$100 to the campaign, but, on the other hand, he refuse to allow the application for a round-the-clock sit-in," Shih said.
Shih said that Ma was actually not in favor of Chen's resignation.
If Chen retains his position, which Shih said was against the public's wish, Ma's campaign for the 2008 presidential election would benefit, he said.
Lin urged Ma not to try to avoid getting involved in controversy.
"Being `Teflon coated' on the issue of corruption in the Chen government will only make pan-blue supporters feel disappointed in him," Lin said.
Lin said that Ma had let his supporters down once in 2004, when he asked protesters who had gathered in front of the Presidential Office after the presidential election to leave.
"If Ma believes he can continue being `Teflon coated' and win the 2008 presidential election, then he's got another thing coming," Lin said.
Meanwhile, KMT lawmakers Ko Chun-hsiung (柯俊雄) and Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) visited Shih's office to express their support for the campaign.
"Although Ma said that KMT will not participate in the anti-Chen campaign in the name of the party, most of the party's members, including Ma, do stand with Shih," Ko said.
Ko said that Ma had shown his support for Shih by contributing his NT$100, noting that there should be no doubt about Ma's intention to oust Chen.
Dismissing criticism that he was being "weak" in his handling of the anti-Chen sit-in, Ma yesterday said that he had already taken a firm stance when the KMT initiated the presidential recall motion in June.
"We had already taken a firm stance in June. [KMT legislators] should understand that I have always stood firm on my position," Ma said yesterday morning at the Taipei City Hall.
While stressing his personal support for the sit-in protest by donating NT$100, Ma said it was the Taipei City Government's responsibility to ensure public safety during the demonstration and that applications for street demonstrations must be filed following strict legal procedures.
"The city government will keep a balance between maintaining order and protecting the assembly rights of the people. We will protect the right to peaceful protest, but will enforce a ban on any acts of violence," Ma said.
"It's so strange that we are under attack by following the law ? We oppose a president who abused the law, but is it right to depose him in an illegal way?" Ma said.
In other news, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
also see stories:
Shih claims DPP worse than CCP
Pro-Chen legislator denies report of romantic liaison
Editorial: Ma's enemies take their chance
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats