Ignoranc is preferable to prejudice

Prejudice is further away from the truth than ignorance. An erroneous judgement based on ignorance may be corrected by grasping the facts. An erroneous judgement based on prejudice, in contrast, cannot be corrected with facts. This is because ignoring the facts is the essence of prejudice. The KMT's attack of President Chen Shui-bian(陳水扁) is based on such blind prejudice.

During the presidential campaign, KMT candidate Lien Chan (連戰) said "electing Chen Shui-bian is choosing war." The voters abandoned Lien not because they preferred "war," but because they knew he was lying.

One year has gone by. The entire nation has seen how Chen has cautiously handled military, diplomatic and cross-strait affairs. He has worked closely with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in completing a peaceful power transfer, securing stability in the military and stabilizing the cross-strait relationship. Even China hasn't been able to find fault with Chen. However, now the KMT has helped China find as the following eight faults with Chen.

First, that he is governing without an axis.

Second, putting the special "state-to-state" principal(兩國論) into practice by identifying Taiwan as an independent and sovereign state.

Third, refusing to make any mention of the National Unification Guidelines and refusing to convene the National Unification Council.

Fourth, denying that he is "Chinese."

Fifth, sabotaging DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) visit to Xiamen.

Sixth, refusing to co-host the Olympic Games with China.

Seventh, provoking a unification-independence standoff, and ethnic tension.

Eighth, relying on the US and putting the country into a strategically dangerous position, as well as failing to accept the departing suggestions of the former US official Stanley Roth.

Even Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) himself could not have come up with such a detailed list of Chen's faults.

Too bad none of these eight major faults named are true.

First, the government is not running without an axis. It is a matter of the choice of axis. The axis of the Chen administration is insisting on Taiwan's state sovereignty, upholding democracy and freedom, maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, and expanding and opening cross-strait interactions. The axis of the KMT and Lien is blurring Taiwan's sovereignty, obeying China's unification propaganda, ignoring China's military hegemony and scaring international supporters of Taiwan. Among these two axes, which one is advantageous and which is damaging to Taiwan's national security and the welfare of the people? Let the facts speak for themselves: All the predictions Lien made on cross-strait and foreign affairs over the past year have been proven wrong.

Second, the so-called "state-to-state" principal refers to the two sides of the Taiwan Strait -- the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The ROC is Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The PRC is China. This is a simple fact. While the likes of Lien may be able to keep the legislature from passing a resolution recognizing this fact, they cannot erase its existence. This is a fact that does not require the "recognition" of anyone.

Third, the goal of the National Unification Guidelines was to prevent unification by Chinese hegemony. Professor Yang Sung-jan (翁松燃), one of the drafters of the guidelines, calls them the "National No-unification Guidelines." Today, the government's policy has gone beyond the limited framework of the guidelines. According to the guidelines, the "three links" are scheduled to take effect after unification's interim stage, during which time cross-strait rivalry is to be abandoned and official channels of communication established.