Former President Lee Teng-hui (
What Lee called a "Greater China national consciousness," -- an identification with China and the nationalistic goal of establishing China as a world power -- which has been drummed into Taiwanese during half a century of KMT rule, has been an obstacle to constitutional reform and has resulted in the wasting of resources, a confused political system, political turbulence, ideological confrontation and partisan feuding.
It has also been a major stumbling block to the nation's economic and social development, Lee said.
Lecturing pupils of his "National Policy Class" at the Lee Teng-hui School, a political think tank established by Lee, the former president said: "This China-centric frame of thinking has made Taiwan incapable of standing up to pressure by outside powers and foreign interference, downgrading Taiwan into something like a colony."
Because Taiwan has long been ruled by foreign powers, the country hasn't formed an adequate Taiwan-centric frame of thinking and this has led to the public's vague understanding of national identity, which itself has undermined national solidarity.
"At the Double Ten National Day celebrations Friday, there were even some people calling out `long live Hu Jintao' (
Lee said apart from China's constant "barbaric" threats which have prevented Taiwan from dismantling many of the structures of the KMT dictatorship, the people of Taiwan haven't been inspired with a Taiwan-centric frame of thinking, partly due to the ideological education imposed by the KMT.
As the president of the Republic of China for 12 years, Lee said his reforms met with great difficulties that any normal country wouldn't have had, including democratization and promotion of the nation's international standing.
He said during his tenure as president, six sets of constitutional amendments were enacted, but met with obdurate resistance from die-hard unification supporters who opposed changing the constitutional system from a design which included the 35 provinces in China to one that fits the nation's current territorial reality.
He also said the now defunct Taiwan Provincial Government, which ought to be completely abolished, still keeps about 400 staff members and a nominal chairperson -- something President Chen Shui-bian (
Lee concluded the country should continue the campaign drive to change the nation's name to Taiwan to distinguish it from China and enlarge Taiwan's footprint in the international community.
In related news, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday welcomed KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) promise to amend the Constitution were he elected president next year, but urged Lien to be "creative" in carrying out reform.
Lien announced on the pan-blue alliance's Double Ten Day celebrations in Chiayi County Friday that he would initiate constitutional reforms were he to be elected.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2