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Ma slammed for UN bid decision
‘ELECTION PLOY’: The opposition accused the president of having made his
campaign to return to the UN a tactic to gain votes in 2008 and of buckling in
the face of Beijing
By Vincent Y. Chao
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Aug 14, 2010, Page 3
The government’s announcement that it will not be making a
formal bid for UN membership this year has drawn heated objections from
opposition party lawmakers, who yesterday said the move would deepen Taiwan’s
international isolation.
On Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) outlined the
government’s approach to participate in UN specialized agencies instead of
applying for full UN membership through Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. He said the
strategy was because of changes in the cross-strait and international
situations, adding that it was in line with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九)
policies of flexible diplomacy.
However, speaking in the legislature yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) slammed the decision, saying the move broke pledges that the president
made during his election campaign in 2008.
“‘Return to the United Nations,’ that was a campaign motto he used on numerous
occasions. It’s becoming clear now that it was all a lie and an election ploy,”
DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) said.
He also called the move an example of how the Ma administration backed down in
the face of Chinese pressure. China is heavily opposed to Taiwan’s inclusion in
international organizations that require statehood, having vowed to counter any
bid for the nation’s admission to the UN.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) argued that the lack of a formal bid this year
could mean more trouble for Taiwan down the road, if it were to launch a similar
proposal in the future.
“If Taiwan were to resume its bid in the future, it will be seen as a
provocation by the [international community],” she said. “Ma’s administration is
basically killing off Taiwan’s chances for an international voice.”
The decision was also panned by DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠), who said it
eroded years of efforts by not only the former DPP administration, but also the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government before it.
“Through our past efforts working hard to join the UN, we have already gathered
quite a bit of international attention,” she said.
Attacking Ma for failing to push for Taiwan’s re-entry in the UN, the DPP’s
Taipei mayoral candidate, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), at a separate setting urged Ma
to stop disappointing the people by belittling Taiwan’s sovereignty and national
dignity.
Taiwan began its attempts to re-enter the UN in 1993, two decades after the
Republic of China mission was replaced by the People’s Republic of China in
1971. In 2008, the government announced that it would give up making a formal
bid through its diplomatic allies.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday called on the
DPP to avoid turning the issue of UN membership into an election tactic, saying
that the Ma government would not waver in its approach.
“Returning to the UN is the hope of the Taiwanese people, but what did the DPP
accomplish during its eight years in office?” he asked.
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