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Chairman Ma and his drive for
unification
By James Wang ¤ý´º¥°
Saturday, Jul 24, 2010, Page 8
President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) is both president of Taiwan and
chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). When it comes to the so-called
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which he has yet to fully
explain to the Taiwanese public, he seems to be favoring the latter role. He
recently bundled off former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (§d§B¶¯) to Beijing on his
behalf to speak with Ma¡¦s counterpart, Chinese President and General Secretary
of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ). Wu¡¦s remit was to convey
Chairman Ma¡¦s gratitude and to report his successful reconstruction of the
party-state system, meaning he not only has his party, but also the public,
under his thumb. Shades of Chairman Mao (¤ò¿AªF), surely?
Ma is happy to send politicians without any official position on official
errands while he himself orchestrates affairs. His version of a China policy is
essentially allowing his party to become a political appendage of the Chinese
People¡¦s Political Consultative Conference, doing the bidding of the Chinese
communists. His out-of-hand rejections of petitions for a referendum on the ECFA,
signed by hundreds of thousands of people, and the ECFA¡¦s smooth passage through
the legislature by a band of yes-men and women, are an affront to democracy in
Taiwan.
Ma says the ECFA has nothing to do with politics, but General Secretary Hu did
nevertheless extend a massive hand to him through his minion Wu, bringing up the
possibility of further CCP-KMT cross-party talks. Hu said the ECFA showed the
possibility of the two parties moving forward on cross-strait relations, based
on a shared political foundation of opposing independence for Taiwan and
adhering to the ¡§1992 consensus.¡¨
Hu also brought up the ¡§one China¡¨ principle, and in doing so effectively
introduced a political element into the ECFA. If Ma disagrees with Hu¡¦s
interpretation here, he ought to come forward and openly denounce it, or the
ECFA will be forever associated with this political condition.
Instead, Ma and Wu simply appeal to the so-called ¡§1992 consensus,¡¨ a cooked-up
interpretation of the situation that betrays Taiwan¡¦s sovereignty, showing
precious little regard for Taiwan¡¦s democracy. They believe that the KMT
represents Taiwan, and say that the two-party high-level exchanges are
indispensable to the furthering of cross-strait relations.
Beijing wants to characterize the ¡§Taiwan question¡¨ as a residue of the old
civil war fought between the Chinese Nationalists ¡X the KMT ¡X and the Chinese
Communists, and is trying to wrest sovereignty from Taiwan. Whether or not
Taiwanese give up their sovereignty to China is something that only they can
decide: Taiwan¡¦s democracy and future are not for the CCP or KMT to decide for
their own mutual benefit.
If Ma truly has the public¡¦s interests at heart he should be sincere with them.
He seems to get all hot under the collar whenever the opposition questions his
actions. Surely he can¡¦t be stupid enough not to realize that this is precisely
what an opposition party is supposed to do. The government¡¦s responsibility is
to lay out their plans and explain what they are doing, clearly and concisely,
should any objections be raised.
In order to neutralize Hu¡¦s political characterization of the ECFA, Ma should
make the minutes of the negotiations available to the legislature and announce
once and for all that there are absolutely no political preconditions, or secret
understandings, behind the ECFA. Finally, the ECFA should be decided by a public
referendum. The KMT have already shown themselves to be an appendage of the CCP,
so they are no longer qualified to represent Taiwan.
James Wang is a political commentator.
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