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2012 ELECTIONS:
‘Consensus’ polarizing, analyst says
BOXED IN: Tung Li-wen, a Taiwan Thinktank
consultant, said it is crucial for Taiwan’s democracy that people are allowed to
support either unification or independence
By Chen Hui-ping and Rich Chang / Staff Reporters, with Agencies
The so-called “1992 consensus” upheld by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has become
a tool that divides Taiwan, said Tung Li-wen (董立文), a Taiwan Thinktank
consultant specializing in China matters.
Tung made the remarks yesterday at a press conference hosted by the Taiwan Brain
Trust to discuss the performance of Ma, Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson
Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) in
Saturday’s televised presidential debate.
Saying that the pro-unification and pro-Taiwan independence positions both enjoy
support, Tung added that it is crucial to Taiwan’s democracy that every person
can proclaim his or her own opinion and that Taiwan’s future is decided via a
democratic mechanism.
“That President Ma Ying-jeou dared others to support [his] idea of ‘no
unification, no independence,’ is an act tantamount to killing the ability of
Taiwanese to choose their future. It not only harms Taiwan’s democracy, it also
deepens the blue-green division and becomes a tool that Ma can use to tear
Taiwan apart,” Tung said.
Tung was referring to the statement made by Ma during the debate in which he,
after stating that his “three noes” position — no unification, no independence
and no use of force — along with the “1992 consensus,” can solve cross-strait
problems, asked whether Tsai dared to say “no independence.”
Adding that he was surprised the three candidates did not focus more on
cross-strait issues, Tung said it might be because the three are still trying to
figure out each other’s real intent and position on cross-strait relations.
According to a TVBS poll, Ma outperformed his rivals in the debate with 30
percent of viewers saying he won the debate, compared with 27 percent who said
Tsai had the best performance and 20 percent who backed Soong.
Meanwhile, the Chinese-language China Times’ poll showed that 32 percent of
respondents felt Ma did better than his opponents, compared with 30 percent who
felt Tsai did the best and 14 percent who preferred Soong.
In related news, a Chinese netizen calling himself Guigumukong, said yesterday
on his microblog that everyone in China should watch the Taiwanese presidential
debates.
“This is a first step in civil rights. This is a way we can learn how national
leadership should be elected,” Guigumukong said.
“Only when state leaders are elected via a democratic process can China become a
democracy,” he said. “Leaders produced via other methods are only dictators
under a fake skin of democracy.”
Another Chinese blogger said that a rare sense of pride for Chinese people arose
after watching Taiwan’s presidential debate.
“For long, we Chinese people have not had that kind of proud feeling,” said the
blogger, who calls himself Shengdai/Xindi.
Another Chinese blogger who called himself Danne_stone said that “the biggest
thought after watching Taiwan’s 2012 presidential debate is that the people in
Taiwan definitely do not want to reunite with China.”
Additional reporting by Staff writer
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