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DPP warns Ma against
concessions in speech
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should not make any concessions as a result of
Chinese pressure on Taiwan’s sovereignty in his inauguration speech for his
second term on May 20, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said
yesterday.
Media reported yesterday that Beijing had pressured Ma to change his “no
unification” pledge to saying that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to
“one China” in his speech.
“I think Ma has already succumbed to Chinese pressure with his ‘one country, two
areas [一國兩區]’ proposal. He has disarmed himself and I would not be surprised if
he made further concessions [in his speech],” DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁)
said.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) urged Ma against making any comments describing
himself as a “district chief” rather than the president of the Republic of China
(ROC).
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) also faced enormous pressure in his
inauguration speech in 2000, he said, adding that Chen did not give in on
Taiwan’s sovereignty.
DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said Beijing was in no -position to instruct Ma
on his speech, but Ma should not sacrifice Taiwan’s sovereignty to repay Beijing
for helping him win a second term in the January presidential election.
“I have to remind Ma that he said in 2007 that the future of Taiwan should be
determined by the 23 million people of Taiwan,” Pan said.
China did not need to apply any pressure because “no -unification” was no longer
Ma’s pledge to Taiwanese after he secured his second term, DPP Legislator Tsai
Chih-chang (蔡其昌) said.
“How could you say you pledge ‘no unification’ when you talk about ‘one country,
two areas’ outside of the framework of the ROC Constitution. The majority of
people in the world would assess that one China represents the People’s Republic
of China, not the ROC,” Tsai said.
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