No date set for reopening Maokong Gondola: mayor
　

ALLEGATIONS: Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said the system would not be reopened until it had passed rigorous inspections and safely completed test runs
　

By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, Page 2
　

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said there was no timetable for the Maokong Gondola to resume service, dismissing allegations that it would start running again on Feb. 14.

The gondola’s operation was suspended on Oct. 1 last year after mudslides eroded the ground beneath a support pillar known as Tower No. 16. The city government began work to relocate the pillar in January, moving it about 30m closer to Tower No. 17.

“We will not announce a date for the gondola’s return to service until thorough inspections and test runs confirm its safety. There’s no timetable,” he said yesterday in response to a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News.

The paper reported that the city’s New Construction Office would complete the relocation project next month, and that the gondola would resume operations on Feb. 14 in celebration of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) and Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群) yesterday visited the construction site in Muzha (木柵), and said the workers had only just dismantled the cables of the damaged pillar.

The city government still needed to remove the platform and set up the pillar and cable at its new location to complete the relocation work, they said.

“The relocation project is very complicated, and it is unlikely that the gondola can resume operation by Feb. 24,” Huang said.

The gondola is Taipei City’s first cable car system and a major municipal project under former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and was aimed at developing tourism in Muzha.

The line, stretching from the Taipei City Zoo to Maokong, a popular area known for its many teahouses, cost the city more than NT$1.3 billion (US$40.3 million). The relocation project will cost NT$21 million.

Hau had previously said the gondola would be reopened to the public around the Lunar New Year holidays, but later said that work would continue until the system’s safety had been confirmed.

EPA launches new Web site for entry into UN agencies
　

By Vincent Y. Chao
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, Page 3

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) unveiled a new Web site showcasing the government’s intention to seek participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Officials said the Web site, which includes information regarding the agency’s environmental policies, statistics and targets, was a fundamental part of the government’s attempt to seek participation UN specialized agencies, including the UNFCCC.

“This was created primarily to allow the public to better understand the government’s policies and initiatives regarding climate change and the UNFCCC,” EPA director-general of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Hsieh Yeih-rui (謝燕儒) said.

“We have also included English sections to allow foreign organizations [and readers] to navigate the site more easily,” Hsieh said.

WHA MODEL

Officials from the agency said the objective of the government’s participation at the conference was based on the model of the nation’s admission into the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer (under the name “Chinese Taipei”) earlier this year.

However, the move drew sharp criticism from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), who called it “irrelevant” because the conference had already started and is scheduled to end tomorrow.

“It is clear that this is another government ploy to fool the public into thinking that the government is actively pushing for participation,” Tien told the Taipei Times, adding that it should have been created much earlier.

“The government is only interested in [talk], this Web site is just a cheap distraction,” Tien said. “While we evidently have difficulties in our [foreign relations], the government should at least be more sincere.”

Environmental organizations earlier criticized the EPA for lacking a comprehensive plan to gain admittance into the UNFCCC and said that the agency relied too much on the “goodwill” from China.

UNDER FIRE

In response to the allegations, Hsieh said the Web site was only created recently because the government’s plan to enter into the UNFCCC involved many agencies.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only announced on Sept. 21 that we would try to enter the UNFCCC,” he said.

“As a result, we only started [to plan] these initiatives in October and November,” he said.

“Our bid to join the UNFCCC is a cross-departmental project,” he said. “The government is firmly dedicated to participating at the conference.”

However, asked why the Web site contained outdated information despite its recent launch, Hsieh said the team responsible for the Web site was currently in Copenhagen and was unable to comment.

The “Foreign support” section of the Web site contains articles from no later than Oct. 9, while the most recent article in the “Newest information” section is dated Nov. 27.

Hsieh said he would look into the matter and resolve it within a week of the team’s return.

Japan happy to see resurgence of DPP: chairperson
　

By Jenny W. Hsu
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, Page 3

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Japanese political circles were pleased to see the party back on its feet, at the conclusion of her four-day visit to Japan.

Speaking with reporters at Taoyuan Airport, Tsai said Japanese politicians were paying great attention to Taiwanese politics and were happy to see the DPP bounce back.

The revival of the DPP is viewed by Japanese as an indication of Taiwan’s democracy, she said.

Tsai said Japan was very concerned about security in the Taiwan Strait, adding that she was able to exchange views on the China issue with several prominent figures.

During the trip, Tsai met several former Japanese prime ministers and key players from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Tsai was quoted as saying that the selection of Japan as her first and only foreign destination after the Dec. 5 local elections highlighted the high respect the DPP has for Taiwans’ neighbor to the north.

Meanwhile, outgoing Japanese representative to Taiwan Masaki Saito last night hosted his last event before heading home following his resignation two weeks ago.

The seasoned diplomat was listed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as “persona non grata” after he said Taiwan’s status remained “undetermined” at an academic function in May.

The Japanese Interchange Association said Saito was quitting for “personal reasons,” but it has been widely rumored that the Taiwanese and Japanese governments were happy to see him go because he had become a defunct diplomat after his controversial remarks.

At the reception, Saito said in Mandarin that this past year marked many important milestones in Taiwan-Japan ties, such as the agreement on the youth working holiday program and the signing of air pact that will allow direct flights from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Taipei Songshan Airport starting in October.

Foreign Minister Timothy Yang (楊進添) touted the relationship and promised to strengthen ties for the mutual benefit of both people.

Saito will end his 17-month stint on Sunday.

He will be succeeded by Tadashi Imai, Japan’s former ambassador to Malaysia and Israel.

Taiwanese wary of dependence on PRC
　

NUMBERS TALK: A survey showed that 62 percent of respondents said they are Taiwanese, a figure that rose to 75 percent among people aged between 18 and 29

By Wang Pei-hua
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, Page 3

More than 60 percent of Taiwanese worry that Taiwan’s economy depends too much on China, while as many as 75 percent of young people in the country consider themselves Taiwanese, not Chinese, the results of a CommonWealth magazine poll showed.

Prior to the survey, polls conducted by several organizations and media outlets showed that the decline in Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) support at the local elections earlier this month was associated with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China-leaning economic policies.

The recent poll showed that as many as 61 percent of respondents worried that Taiwan’s economy was too dependent on China.

More than 70 percent of respondents, meanwhile, said they were not satisfied with the current economy, while only about 20 percent said they were satisfied with it.

Meanwhile, 62 percent of respondents said they considered themselves Taiwanese, while 22 percent thought of themselves as Taiwanese and Chinese and only 8 percent considered themselves Chinese.

As many as 75 percent of the respondents aged between 18 and 29 considered themselves to be Taiwanese.

Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies chairman Chao Chun-shan (趙春山) was quoted by the magazine as saying that, in similar polls in the past, most people would choose the option “Taiwanese but also Chinese” because they identified with Chinese culture and Chinese ethnicity.

However, nowadays the term “China” tends to represent the People’s Republic of China, and thus Taiwanese people identify more with Taiwan.

Asked about the independence-unification issue, 11 percent of respondents said they would like Taiwan to declare independence “as soon as possible,” 2 percent said they preferred unification with China as soon as possible, while 78 percent preferred the “status quo.”

Thirty-three percent of respondents said that while they preferred to maintain the “status quo,” they would like to see Taiwan eventually declare independence, 35 percent said they wanted the “status quo” to remain permanent and 10 percent said they would like to see Taiwan eventually unify with China.

Ma remains oblivious to the public

Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, Page 8

Rushing to respond to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) recent interview with the Wall Street Journal in which he was quoted as supporting a timetable of 10 years for Taiwan and China to consider unification, the Presidential Office on Tuesday said that the president had been misquoted.

Ma’s actual and complete wording was: “Whether there will be reunification as expected by the mainland side depends very much on what is going to unfold in the next decades.

“This is a question no one can answer at this stage. But as the president of this country, I believe that the 23 million people of Taiwan want to secure one or two generations of peace and prosperity so that people on either side of the Taiwan Strait can have sufficient time and freedom to understand, to appreciate and to decide what to do,” the Presidential Office’s version read, stressing that Ma’s words in the Nov. 25 interview were “next decades,” not “next decade.”

The Presidential Office may think it has put out the fire with this explanation, but it has missed the point.

Whether the wording was “next decade” or “next decades” is beside the case.

The crux of the controversy is: What gives Ma the authority to set a timetable of any duration for Taiwanese to consider unification with China?

The decision on Taiwan’s future — be it independence, unification or the “status quo” — lies in the hands of Taiwanese. It is not a subject that the Taiwanese people have authorized the president to decide unilaterally, nor a subject that should be influenced by what people on the other side of the Strait believe.

During campaigning and when delivering major speeches, Ma often states that “Taiwan’s future should be decided by its 23 million people.”

This wording sounds democratic and shows respect for the idea that Taiwanese should determine the country’s fate.

Ma’s remarks in the Wall Street Journal interview, however, confirm that he wants eventual unification with China.

Ironically, amid the brouhaha over Ma’s remarks on a “unification” timetable, a new survey has provided more troubling food for thought for the president.

In the latest CommonWealth magazine poll on Tuesday, 62 percent of those surveyed said they consider themselves Taiwanese, 22 percent said they see themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese, while a mere 8 percent said they regard themselves as Chinese.

Of particular interest is the finding that among respondents aged 18 to 29, 75 percent described themselves as Taiwanese.

As the saying goes: “There go the people, I must follow them, for I am their leader.”

Ma, as the nation’s highest elected official, should heed mainstream opinion rather than act unilaterally and obstinately.

Only this way will he have the chance to serve another term as president.