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Ma should never have said never to the
US
By Chen Lung-chu ³¯¶©§Ó
Saturday, May 15, 2010, Page 8
¡§Never say never¡¨ are words to live by, not only for ordinary people, but
especially for politicians.
When President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) declared in a recent interview with CNN that
¡§We will never ask the Americans to fight for Taiwan,¡¨ he committed a big
blunder, especially as the president of a country.
In this instance, he did not speak for the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese.
In fact, what he said is contrary to the popular will of the Taiwanese and
contradicts the enlightened national interest of Taiwan.
The overwhelming majority of Taiwanese understand and appreciate that the US¡¦s
defense commitment, as expressed in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, has
contributed enormously to the peace, security and stability of Taiwan for over
30 years, enabling Taiwan to achieve economic growth and to experience political
transformation from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) oppression under ¡§the
perpetual martial law¡¨ to a free, democratic country committed to protecting and
honoring human rights.
As Benjamin Franklin wrote, ¡§God helps those who help themselves.¡¨ We the
Taiwanese people realize that we must do our utmost to defend and protect our
island nation.
But in a globalized world of ever-increasing interdependence and danger, which
country can really stand alone? Collective security for mutual defense and
assistance is the answer.
The Taiwanese are a democratic, peace-loving people. For decades, though, we
have been constantly threatened by a rising, powerful neighbor ¡X the People¡¦s
Republic of China ¡X that has more than 1,400 missiles aimed at Taiwan.
Internally, we now have a president who has shown every sign of leaning on China
and of submitting to China¡¦s will in his pursuit of the so-called ¡§ultimate
unification with China¡¨ ¡X betraying his campaign promises and acting against the
popular will of the Taiwanese people.
Taiwan must remain strong and courageous, but we do need friends in this
dangerous world.
The US has been a real friend of Taiwan. We cherish its friendship and
appreciate its defense assistance and commitment, and will continue to do so.
Together, we can continue to keep Taiwan a free, democratic country,
contributing to peace, security and democracy in the Asia-Pacific community.
Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century
Foundation.
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