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Opinion / Commentary
Chen's move harmful
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-17 07:18
Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's promotion of a "referendum" on the
island's entry to the United Nations in recent months has been severely
criticized, says an article in Xinhua News Agency. The following is
excerpt:
Wu Yi, a scholar with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an
article published on Saturday that Chen's disregard of the people's call
for peace and strong opposition from the international community will
seriously jeopardize Cross-Straits stability.
Taiwan authorities sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in
July, raising the possibility of an application to join the United
Nations in the name of "Taiwan". Chen has also been pushing for a
"referendum" in Taiwan on its entry to the UN.
One of the reasons Chen has been promoting the "referendum" despite the
opposition is to seek protection for himself and his family after
retirement, Wu said.
Since last year, Chen, his wife, and son-in-law, have been involved in
several corruption scandals. Even if the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) holds on to power in Taiwan in 2008, Chen will lose his judicial
immunity and will face several law suits.
As a result, Chen is desperately seeking protection from "Taiwan
independence" forces, including the use of the "referendum", to avoid
judicial punishment after his retirement, Wu said.
Moreover, Chen wants to use the "referendum" to maintain his hold on the
DPP and deal with a political crisis stemming from a mass rally by the
opposition party to oust him last year.
Chen's "referendum" is trying to divert public attention from the DPP's
poor economic and social achievements since gaining power.
The DPP is also using it to attract more votes from independence forces
to compete against the opposition Kuomintang Party in next year's
election, Wu said.
He said Chen's "referendum" does not have the backing of 23 million
Taiwan people as claimed.
Chen has promoted the "referendum" to conceal his political incapacity
and corruption, Wu said.
The scholar also pointed out that the "referendum" is another move to
seek "de jure independence" by the DPP.
Although most of the Taiwan compatriots have been indifferent to the
"referendum", Chen and the DPP's move, however, will definitely bring
endless harm to the island's society, and to the stability and
development of Cross-Straits relations, Wu said.
(China Daily 09/17/2007 page4)
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