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Chen, Lee stress nation's sovereignty

President Chen Shui-bian, left, and his predecessor Lee Teng-hui share the stage at the first anniversary celebrations of the Taiwan Solidarity Union in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday stressed the importance of the people of Taiwan asserting their country's sovereignty, as they urged people not to be intimidated by Beijing's threats, and to "walk down the right path."

While Chen called upon the people "not to back away from the belief we think is correct," Lee endorsed the president's assertion that "Taiwan and China are two countries."

The two men appeared together at a rally marking the one-year anniversary of the founding of the pro-independence TSU, which formally added "push for the referendum law" and "rectifying the name of Taiwan" into its party platform yesterday.

Chen has enraged Beijing -- and some people in Taiwan -- recently by taking an increasing tough line on China. He has repeatedly called upon the people to "walk our own Taiwanese road" if China refuses to reciprocate Taiwan's goodwill.

Last week he said that there is "one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait" and suggested that the people "consider the necessity and urgency to pass legislation for a referendum to determine the country's political future."

Chen appeared more circumspect in his remarks yesterday. Although he once again urged people in Taiwan that, "We must keep walking the right path and must not stop," he did not bring up the question of a plebiscite.

"Taiwan can't be frightened [by China's menace], we should stand firm and be optimistic about Taiwan's future," Chen said.

In his speech yesterday, the 81-year-old Lee -- the TSU's spiritual leader -- vowed to lead the party for the rest of his life in order to ensure that Taiwan will continue to be governed by Taiwanese, because "Taiwan's future is more important than my life."

"I strongly support President Chen's remarks when he said that Taiwan and China are different countries on each side of the Taiwan Strait. It is a statement of reality. Why should we be afraid?" Lee said.

Lee said he did not seek to provoke tension by his stumping for Taiwan's independence, rather he hoped the two countries could develop a mutually beneficial relationship, although he stressed that Taiwan can't forget that relations must be "state to state" in nature.

"Taiwan is not part of China; Taiwan is part of the world. We have to be clear that we are our own masters," Lee said.

While lauding the TSU's achievements for the past year, Chen also reminded party members that they should try to fulfill a promise made by Lee before last December's legislative elections -- that if the DPP could win 85 seats, up to 35 legislators would ally with it, giving the ruling party the majority it would need to pass legislation.

Lee also made a joking reference to that promise in his remarks yesterday -- apologizing for failing to achieve the target he had set and pledged to work toward that aim. (The DPP won 87 seats in the elections, but the TSU won just 13.)

In his speech, TSU Chairman Huang Chu-wen (黃主文) outlined the party's goals for the coming year and said the most important was pushing for a law on public referendums.

Huang also said the party plans to mobilize at least 100,000 people next year on Mothers' day to back its campaign to have the name of the country changed from the Republic of China to Taiwan.

On Mother's Day this year an estimated 10,000 people attended a TSU rally to back the name change because, as the party said, they believe "the name of the people's mother is Taiwan."

Leaders of pro-independence groups and dozens of high-profile DPP politicians including Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) and DPP Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) attended the TSU's celebration yesterday.

The DPP's candidate for Taipei mayor, Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), was also there, courting votes since the TSU is not planning to field a candidate for that post in the year-end elections.
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