Tue, Oct 03, 2023 page3

• Ma rejects Double Ten invite over name

  WORDPLAY: Using ‘Taiwan’ makes sense to distinguish the nation from China, while using ‘ROC’ creates confusion in the international community, a new constitution advocate said

  • By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
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  Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he declined an invitation to attend the Double Ten National Day celebration this year, as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration changed the official English-language title of the event to “Taiwan National Day,” which he said implies Taiwanese independence.

  Ma wrote on Facebook that he made the decision with an “extremely heavy and painful heart,” as he had participated in the national day celebrations for the past four decades regardless of whether he was currently working in government.

  Since 2021, the Tsai administration has used “Taiwan National Day” as the official English title of the celebration, which is pro-Taiwanese independence, as it implies that “Taiwan” is the official name of the country, he said.

  

  Former president Ma Ying-jeou speaks in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Taipei Times

  Calling it an irresponsible move, he said it not only endangers the nation, but also shows that Tsai broke her oath to the Constitution when she was sworn into office in 2016 and 2020.

  The government had previously never used “Taiwan National Day” in any of its official English-language materials because the official name of the country is the Republic of China (ROC), Ma said, urging the government to instead use “Republic of China National Day.”

  “Does using ‘Taiwan National Day’ have any meaning other than to allow this government to insinuate that it believes in an independent Taiwan? This is the last national day celebration that President Tsai is going to attend during her term as president, and it is painful to see that she has not stopped doing things that hurt Taiwan,” he wrote.

  Ma said that he had last year urged Tsai and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), who presided over the organizing committee of those celebrations, to stop using “Taiwan National Day.”

  That advice fell on deaf ears, he said.

  “Since all my advice was given in vain, my continual presence at the national day celebrations would only be viewed as an endorsement of Taiwanese independence. I can no longer sit through an event in which the Democratic Progressive Party government endangers the safety of Taiwan and hurts the ROC. As such, I have decided to reject the invitation to attend this year’s national day celebration,” he said.

  You said that while he respects Ma’s position, he hopes the former president would reconsider and attend.

  “Everyone should know by now that the ROC is funded by 23 million taxpayers in Taiwan. Every president, including former president Ma, was elected by 23 million voters in Taiwan,” You said.

  Taiwan New Constitution Foundation executive director Lin Yi-cheng (林宜正) said that the latest survey by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation showed that nearly 80 percent of respondents said they consider themselves “Taiwanese,” while only 9.2 percent identified themselves as “Chinese.”

  A dramatic national identity shift has occurred in the past 30 years, with the development of freedom and democracy in Taiwan, he said.

  “It’s only legitimate that we use ‘Taiwan’ to distinguish ourselves from China in the international community. Using ‘Republic of China’ would cause other countries to confuse us with China and hinder our formation of alliances with democratic countries,” Lin said.

  The government still uses the ROC Constitution and keeps all its articles, even those that seem outdated, not because people wholeheartedly agree with them, but because the bar to amend it is set so high, and because of the military intimidation from China, Lin said.

  “The outdated concept of ‘Great China’ continues to exist in the Constitution and has been used by people like Ma to harass people in Taiwan. The concept only serves to offer solace for their nostalgia toward their Chinese homeland and does little to better national interests,” he said.
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