In his recent address to party leaders at the International Democratic Union (IDU) in Washington, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
According to Lien, Chen's plans to assume the DPP's chairmanship in August will turn the 2004 presidential election "into a referendum on Taiwan independence without so calling it."
Lien also emphasized that the world would be confronted with a potentially explosive crisis if Chen were re-elected. Therefore, he reasoned, the only way to defuse this crisis would be for the KMT to win the presidential election.
Lien's comments remind us of the week before the last presidential election when the KMT launched a series of ugly attacks on Chen. The KMT portrayed Chen as the only one, among all the candidates, who would ignite a war across the Taiwan Strait. In one ad, the KMT warned voters not to vote for Chen, otherwise they would have to send their sons off to battle.
The KMT's accusations have been proven ineffective, as well as flat-out wrong. Not only did Lien lose the election anyway, but Chen has managed to maintain a stable cross-strait relationship since he assumed office.
Two and a half years later, Lien is resorting to the same old trick. Either he is again misjudging the situation or -- to quote Lien's own words -- he is pass?. First, US Secretary of State Colin Powell recently delivered a speech at the Asia Society, praising Taiwan for its dynamic economy, vibrant democracy and generous contributions to the international community. He emphasized that while people tend to refer to the "Taiwan problem," he called Taiwan "a problem of a success story." In the past, Taiwan was labeled as a "liability" and a "trouble-maker" in the Washington-Taipei-Beijing relationship. Chen's moderate approach in cross-strait relations has helped Taiwan build a circle of trust with its American counterpart.
Second, in a mature democracy, it is odd to witness a former vice president criticize an incumbent president so harshly. Bill Clinton never attacks George W. Bush for his handling of domestic and foreign affairs. Even Al Gore, who lost to Bush by a slight margin, did not point his finger at the president after the Sept. 11 attacks. In this regard, Lien's behavior demonstrates a lack of democratic morality.
Third, in any democracy, checks and balances between political parties are normal. A dutiful opposition may criticize the Cabinet and the president. The truthfulness and fairness of its criticisms are open for public judgment. However, it is inappropriate to abuse and twist the principle of inter-party checks and balances, let alone attacking the government in front of a foreign audience.
Finally, to win public respect and support, the KMT should prove to the international community the extent to which it can out-do the DPP rather than simply defaming the DPP and Chen. It is, therefore, Lien's loose-canon behavior that is a real shame.
In addition to his consistent and good-will policy toward China, Chen has offered another olive branch to Beijing in May, promising to gradually open up the direct links through negotiations via government-delegated private groups. The Chen administration has demonstrated not only consistency, but pragmatism, in dealing with Beijing.
These efforts were largely acknowledged and praised by the international community, including the US. This not to mention a recent public poll which showed over 60 percent of the public is satisfied with Chen's China policy. These are the facts that Lien should not overlook. Taiwan is a constructive success story, not a recipe for potential disaster.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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