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2012 ELECTIONS: US
congressman expresses concern over US neutrality
By William Lowther / Staff Reporter in Washington
A fifth member of the US Congress has written to US Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton expressing fears that Washington has failed to ¡§stay neutral¡¨ in
the run-up to Taiwan¡¦s elections.
US Representative Bill Johnson said that while he was aware of the US Department
of State¡¦s assurances that it was not taking sides, ¡§I still have reservations.¡¨
A member of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Congressional Taiwan Caucus, Johnson is the latest of a growing bipartisan group
to express concern.
¡§Taiwan¡¦s recent inclusion as a candidate for the US Visa Waiver Program, the
large number of pre-election visits to Taiwan by high-level administration
officials and most recently the statement released by the Taiwanese National
Security Council on its meeting with the American Institute in Taiwan give me
pause,¡¨ he said in the letter.
¡§Whether intended or not, the timing of these gestures give the impression that
the US continues to support the current government of Taiwan and its
non-confrontational policy towards China,¡¨ he said.
Johnson also asked Clinton to ¡§keep a close eye¡¨ on developments in Taiwan this
week and ¡§during the weeks thereafter.¡¨
¡§The true mark of a mature democracy is its ability to carry out a peaceful
transfer of power in the event of a victory by the opposition,¡¨ he wrote.
Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs president Mark Kao
(°ªÀsºa) said that given the ¡§closeness of the latest polls, it is absolutely
imperative that no party, including the US, exercises unwarranted influence on
the free and fair election process.¡¨
¡§These letters represent continuing concerns in Congress that the Obama
administration is less than neutral and continuing concerns about potential
challenges to the peaceful transfer of power in the case of a win by opposition
leader Tsai Ing-wen (½²^¤å),¡¨ Kao said.
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