Reaction to yesterday's victory in the presidential election by the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was a mixture of elation, caution and warnings, with opponents blaming both unpredictable voter behavior and President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) himself for the upset that will end more than five decades of power for the KMT.
While congratulating Chen yesterday, his rivals also responded by expressing their own expectations as to how the president-elect would direct the country toward a better future.
"Faced with the intricate current situation, I hope you will lead Taiwan into a new phase with an open mind and new way of thinking,"said vice president and KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰), who came in third in the election with just 23 percent of the popular vote.
In a concession speech last night, Lien said he respected the results of the election as an expression of the people's will, adding that the smooth process of the election marked another watershed in Taiwan's democratic development.
Meanwhile KMT officials said that tactical voting, the so-called "dump Lien, save Soong"and "dump Lien, save Chen"effects, were mainly responsible for the KMT's election debacle.
KMT Secretary-general Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) announced his resignation over the party's failure in the campaign.
Independent candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜), who broke away from the KMT to run in the race and won more than 36 percent of the votes, also pledged support for the new DPP-led government.
"The most urgent task now is to support the new government with foresight,"Soong said.
Independent candidate Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), who won a mere 0.6 percent of the vote, said he hoped Chen would prioritize cross-strait issues and boost public confidence in Taiwan's economy.
Officials from the New Party, which won only 0.1 percent of the vote yesterday, said they believed Chen's victory to a certain extent reflected the 'anti-China' complex of the Taiwanese.
"The intimidating statements from ... Chinese premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基) triggered voters' negative emotions, and they voted for Chen,"said Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), leader of the New Party's caucus at the Legislative Yuan.
Beijing, which repeatedly warned Taiwan voters against supporting a pro-independence candidate in the run up to the poll, issued only a brief reaction last night, saying the poll results did not change the island's status as part of China.
Xinhua news agency quoted a statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, as saying: "Taiwan's local leadership election and its results cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China's territory."
It did not mention poll victor Chen Shui-bian by name.
Ma Lik, meanwhile, a Hong Kong deputy to China's National People's Congress, said Beijing will watch Chen's actions before taking the next step.
"Beijing will not declare war, not yet,"Ma said. "He [Chen] must persuade Beijing that he will not declare Taiwan independent and that he wants to improve their relationship."
Affirming the military's resolve to safeguard Taiwan's security, Chief of the General Staff Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) pledged loyalty to the new president on behalf of the armed forces immediately after Chen's victory.
"According to article 138 of the constitution, the armed forces should be loyal to the country and protect the people. And article 36 stipulates that the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces,"Tang said.
In light of China's strong suspicion of the DPP's wish to promote independence for Taiwan, easing cross-strait tensions is widely believed to be one of Chen's biggest challenges.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source