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`Pan blue' camp pans Chen's talk

President Chen Shui-bian weaves a rope from rice stalks outside the Presidential Office yesterday as part of an event sponsored by the Taichung City government to help the public understand Taichung culture. The comments Chen made Saturday drew ire from the opposition while the DPP sought to downplay the remarks. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

Opposition politicians continued their chorus of criticism of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday, blasting his "one country on either side" (一邊一國) of the Taiwan Strait declaration.

Deviating from his original speech to the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations in Tokyo via teleconference on Saturday, Chen said that Taiwan and China are separate countries on either side of the Strait and that the legislature should consider passing a referendum law to protect its sovereignty.

"Chen's reckless remarks have tied the future and the well-being of Taiwan's 23 million people to the gunpowder keg of Taiwan independence," KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) said yesterday.

Lien said Chen's comments calling for a referendum law hurt the nation's status quo, gravely jeopardized the well-being of the people of Taiwan, upset peace in the Taiwan Strait and undermined world political stability.

"The KMT will never allow Chen to act arbitrarily," Lien said.

The KMT chairman also accused Chen of not taking the nation and its people into account when making his "inappropriate" remarks, adding that not even the staff at the Presidential Office were aware beforehand what the president had planned to say Saturday.

KMT spokesman Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said Chen's comments were triggered by personal emotions and showed he lacked the ability to make decisions with poise and wisdom.

Meanwhile, Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), director of the PFP's policy coordination center, said the president's remarks overestimated US support for Taiwan and miscalculated the potential for a strong reaction from Beijing.

Chang added that the people of Taiwan would be forced to bear the consequences of Chen's remarks if Beijing interprets his comments as a call for independence.

Joining the chorus of criticism, the PFP legislative caucus yesterday said Chen's comments lacked comprehensive consideration.

PFP Legislator Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) demanded that Chen think twice and keep Taiwan's 23 million people in mind before uttering anything further.

Noting that Chen has taken an oath swearing allegiance to the nation's Constitution, Shen said she wanted to remind the president not to carry out any "unconstitutional deeds" such as pushing for a referendum on Taiwan independence and changing the nation's flag and official name simply because of his own pro-independence leanings.

"The PFP will oppose Taiwan independence by all means and block any referendum bills," Shen said.

Echoing Shen's comments, PFP legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) asked Chen not to rule the country "by slogans," ignore the welfare of the people or only have his personal interests in mind such as securing re-election.

PFP legislative whip Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said Chen's remarks have created suspicions among the public that independence is what Chen has had in mind all along.

See editorial:
Straight talk on Strait affairs
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