Taiwanese are not fools
I would like to draw attention to two points made in an article published in The Economist on Thursday last week entitled “Events in Catalonia and Kurdistan are causing pangs in Taiwan.”
First, to all intents and purposes, Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and achieved this status some time ago. Second, the so-called “one China” principle is an outdated concept.
Regarding the former, I would like to remind members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) that when someone says the word “Taiwan,” they do not mean the “Republic of China” (ROC).
Members of the KMT and pro-unification media should stop treating the public like fools by taking every opportunity to trumpet the name “ROC” in an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of Taiwanese.
The arrogant imbeciles wave their party’s flag as if they have a monopoly on the nation’s iconography.
On March 13, 1950, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) is on record as saying: “Regarding the new situation of ‘Chinese independence’ that we face today, I don’t need to remind everyone: Our Republic of China died last year when the mainland fell into the hands of the enemy.”
If the KMT were more intelligent, they would be thanking Taiwanese for tolerating their ROC government all these years and refrain from drawing attention to their inherent weakness.
As for the outdated “one China” principle, it is common knowledge that the US long ago re-evaluated its policy on “one China.” This is why US President Donald Trump on taking office clearly called into question the “one China” principle.
The KMT needs to open its eyes: Anti-unification sentiment is rising. That the younger generation is naturally pro-independence requires no further explanation.
If KMT members had an ounce of intelligence left and were serious about preserving a future in Taiwanese politics, they would know that they should steer well clear of the Chinese Communist Party. Yet, to shore up a trifling number of votes from within the party’s military veterans’ branch, the KMT has chosen to abandon mainstream public opinion.
Citizens of the ROC have on many occasions clearly demonstrated that the ROC and an independent Taiwan are one and the same.
Tuesday’s Double Ten National Day celebrations should be a reminder of this truth. Let us fuse together the ROC with the cause of Taiwanese independence and launch a new battle for “Chinese independence.”
Liu Chih-chieh
Taoyuan
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