President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday his winning a second term is essential if the nation is to complete its evolution from an authoritarian state to a democracy.
"If I am re-elected, Taiwan will be the first country among Asia's democracies to successfully defeat its ancien regime in its evolution from authoritarianism to democracy," Chen told the Taipei Times.
"In the three global waves of democratization, many countries, including ones in Asia, completed the transfer of political power, but these countries are either still mired in commotion or the original authoritarian conservative political parties and forces have made a comeback because the people could not put up with the pain of reforms," Chen said.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"If the Taiwanese people can once again resist China's pressure and let A-bian and the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP], of whom Beijing is least supportive, win the election and let the first referendum in Taiwan's history be smoothly carried out, this will be important progress in the development of democracy," he said.
Chen said that even if he wins re-election, eight years are not enough to accomplish reforms to perfect Taiwan's internal welfare system, but added he hoped to create a legacy for the nation.
"I want to be the person who shapes Taiwanese awareness, the terminator of `black gold' politics, the promoter of democratic reforms, the defender of fairness and justice, and the creator of cross-strait peace," Chen said.
"I am confident that these credits will be how future generations come to know me."
Asked what measures he would like to implement in a second term to build a stronger Taiwanese consciousness, Chen said a new constitution that reflects the country's reality is his main mission over the next four years.
"During the past four years, Taiwanese awareness has risen dramatically. Over 50 percent of Taiwanese people now believe they are Taiwanese and not Chinese. This is the result of the DPP government's promotion of Taiwanese awareness, but it is still not enough," Chen said.
"Because quite a few people view the enemy country as their motherland and believe that Taiwan is a part of China," he said, "we must help people understand that, from the perspective of Taiwanese awareness, Chinese culture is only part of us."
Chen added that de-Sinicization is not the reason for the DPP's promotion of Taiwanese awareness. Rather, he said, the purpose is to let the Taiwanese people understand that the past colonial experience is only a part of Taiwanese culture.
He said the only way to turn Taiwan into a normal, complete, beautiful and great country is to create a new constitution by way of participation of the entire citizenry over the next four years.
"As a nation, there are still some abnormal and incomplete areas. I hope to hold a referendum on the Constitution in 2006 and to enact it in 2008," Chen said.
Asked whether the DPP will change the country's name, flag and anthem if a majority of people demand such changes or whether he would backtrack under international pressure, Chen said he would complete Taiwan's democratic reforms under the premise of "maintaining Taiwan's sovereign status quo."
"The `five noes' promise in my inauguration speech on May 20, 2000, will not change. I will abide by the principles and promises I made during the past four years," he said. "Therefore, I am confident that the international community, especially our allies and friends, will support Taiwan and put their trust in my administration."Also See Story:
Democracy forges ahead
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024 Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday. The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime. However, South Korea’s fertility rate began to recover from 2023, with total fertility rate rising from 0.72 and estimated to reach 0.82 to 0.85 by last year, and the crude birthrate projected at 6.7 per 1,000 people. Japan’s crude birthrate was projected to fall below six,
RSS