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`One China' roof has a leak at WHA

Taiwan's hope of joining the World Health Organization (WHO) remains just a hope as a result of China's obstruction. As Taiwan came under attack by an outbreak of SARS this year, the international community began to show a great deal of support for the country's participation into the WHO. However, facing an all-out blockade from China at the WHO, the country suffered a devastating defeat for the seventh time in a row.

Confronted by the unreasonable China, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) invited everyone, including those from both the ruling and the opposition camps, to jointly push for a public referendum on Taiwan's participation in the WHO, so that the world may hear the voice of Taiwan on the issue and that the consensus and determination of the 23 million people may be demonstrated.

But the KMT and PFP have always opposed the use of public referendums, consistently condemning the use of the mechanism to get the popular will across to the world. They questioned whether anyone opposes joining the WHO? They also said that it is a bad idea to make the world think that Taiwan still dares to play a political game during a health crisis.

During the review of the public referendum law in the Legislative Yuan, under the high-handed boycott of pan-blue lawmakers, the entire legislative session was a shambles. Now that the Legislative Yuan has adjourned, how far the review of the draft referendum law has gone is a question for which no one has an answer. Public referendums are the norm in many other democracies. Why are some people here echoing China's tune?

Even pan-blue leaders concede that there is a consensus that Taiwan should be allowed to join the WHO in some capacity. However, they seemed to have attributed Taiwan's inability to join the organization to last-minute and poorly-coordinated efforts. Actually, we all know the truth only too well.

The Chinese obstruction began neither today nor after the DPP came to power. Rather, it started way back when the KMT was still in power. Under the pan-blue logic, wouldn't the criticism about the DPP government's ill-coordinated last-minute efforts also ring true with respect to their own performance in the six previous bids? China blatantly lied to the world that it was helping Taiwan fight SARS.

The government has repeatedly refuted these lies, calling them shameless. Yet, members of the pan-blue camp repeatedly convened cross-strait conferences, so as to give China opportunities to make more lies. This is and attempt to delay the government's efforts to join the WHO and tantamount to betraying countrymen who have worked so hard on the bid.

Over the years, both the government and the private sector have pitched in to help this country join the WHO. All the sacrifices made cannot be erased by a few sarcastic comments. Not only the people here, but also the international community has come to realize that the only roadblock to the WHO is China's "atypical political extortion" based on the "one China" principle.

The funny thing is this: Those pan-blue leaders attacked public referendum bills for generating political questions unnecessarily and cleverly promised to help Taiwan join the WHO as soon as possible. What tricks can they possible have up their sleeves? It is to push for two seats for two sides of the Taiwan Strait under what they are calling a "one China" roof.

According to them, this way, not only will Taiwan will able to join the WHO, it can even join non-political international organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They even claim that under the "one China" roof, Taiwan will be able to safeguard its sovereignty. Is the so-called "one China" roof really such a clever idea?

Forgive us for being blunt. This is no different from Beijing's "one China" principle. It can even be characterized in the now popular lingo "atypical surrender" on the part of Taiwan. If the so-called "one China" roof is so miraculous, the pan-blue leaders are being way too conservative in the rosy picture they paint. The Chinese leaders have said that everything is negotiable, so long as Taiwan accepts the "one China" principle.

To Taiwan, accepting the "one China" principle is the equivalent of signing its own death warrant. Under the circumstances, isn't its life too cheap if all that is demanded in exchange is membership to the WHO?

According to the Chinese logic, once Taiwan accepts the principle, and becomes a subject of China, there can be two seats for the two sides of Taiwan Strait in all international organizations. It wouldn't be asking to much for Taiwan to have a seat in the UN. Pan-blue leaders, isn't that true?

Taiwan embraces the idea of having WHO membership. But Taiwanese have never embraced "one China." When countries such as the US and Japan voiced their support for Taiwan's participation in the world health body, they never demanded acceptance of the "one China" principle by Taiwan as a precondition.

During the meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA), Taiwan suffered a blow from Beijing's fist. Chinese officials even ruthlessly scorned Taiwan, saying "who cares about you?"

Before, the pan-blue leaders have said that once elected, they will visit China, totally disregarding that the precondition China sets for a visit by Taiwanese leaders is acceptance of the "one China" principle.

Now, as the entire country feels enraged over slow action in China which abetted the spread of the SARS virus while obstructing Taiwan's bid for observer status at the WHA, the pan-blue leaders cannot wait to pitch their "one China" roof proposal. Perhaps they think that succumbing to China is the only way out for Taiwan.
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