Wed, Mar 26, 2008 page8

• EDITORIAL: Ma should heed EU lawmakers' call

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  Last Wednesday, 100 members of the European Parliament reiterated their support for Taiwan's bid to join the UN. The news was largely overshadowed by election fever in the final days of campaigning, despite the strength of the statement in the European Voice, an independent newspaper that documents EU developments, and the fact that Taiwan was preparing to vote on two referendum proposals concerning UN membership.

  The parliamentarians went further than acknowledging the long ignored fact that Beijing's seat at the UN does not represent Taiwan's people and interests. Their statement said Taiwan has never been controlled by the People's Republic of China and that it is a sovereign country.

  Taiwan could hardly have asked for more explicit wording. A resounding "yes" to either of Saturday's referendums would have been the perfect complement to that statement. Instead, both proposals failed -- the result of a de facto Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) boycott and an ineffectual government campaign to promote the plebiscites. Although the Democratic Progressive Party and KMT plebiscites both received overwhelmingly positive responses -- as expected -- only 35 percent of voters cast ballots in the two polls.

  Those disgraceful figures are a fact fated to be manipulated by Beijing for years. Equally tragic, they are likely to be misconstrued by the rest of the international community.

  The statement by EU lawmakers reflected the principles that the countries they represent so often tout -- equal representation, an integral aspect of democracy and human rights. The governments of those same countries, meanwhile, remain silent on the issue of Taiwan, or else toe Beijing's line.

  Taiwan cannot afford to echo that silence. The nation has missed a chance to make itself heard and now must focus on minimizing the damage. It must not leave this heartening statement by EU parliamentarians unanswered. As president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) nears his inauguration date, he should consider how to make up for this loss.

  The cards are stacked in Ma's favor. He will have an absolute majority in the legislature ready to back any Cabinet proposal. And in light of statements he and his party made in the months leading to the election, failing to take action could only be interpreted as duplicitous.

  Topping the agenda for Ma becoming president should be a Cabinet proposal for a legislative resolution underscoring what EU parliamentarians so eloquently proclaimed last week: Taiwan is not the People's Republic of China. As such, it is denied representation at the UN but should continue to seek to break out of its international isolation.

  These are statements that are not controversial in Taiwan and the legislature should pass them unanimously. The issue of the nation's ideal title at the UN is not vital to a legislative proposal. Unnecessary controversy should be avoided in favor of garnering a unanimous vote that would amplify the resolution's significance in light of the legislature's fierce divide.

  In the weeks leading to the election, Ma promised to protect this nation's sovereignty in the face of Beijing's oppression. And in September, at a rally in Taichung, Ma said the KMT would fight for an end to the nation's isolation.

  Come May, he will be perfectly positioned to make those aspirations heard again. Proposing a resolution would demonstrate his sincerity and offer a clear signal that he will not tiptoe around the issue of national sovereignty to avoid riling Beijing.
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