Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee said that although President Chen Shui-bian (
PHOTO: LIAO CHENG-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
"Some people still refuse to accept the results of the recount and even blame the national security mechanism for their loss. If they insist on casting blame like that, the election disputes probably won't be settled even in another four years. The people should really spit on them for their behavior," Lee said yesterday while addressing hundreds of students at the Lee Teng-hui School.
Lee said that the most important thing for the people and the administration now is to redouble their efforts, carry out reforms and push ahead with administrative affairs and legislative operations.
Analyzing the pan-blue camp's loss in the election, the former president said that the pan-blue alliance's defeat resulted from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) neglecting to appreciate the growth of Taiwan-centered consciousness. Lee said this failure led to the collapse of the KMT's party-state system and to the break-up of the KMT's control over its own network of supporters.
Lee said that efforts by many private social groups to promote Taiwanese national identity have helped bring about a situation in which 57 percent of the people in Taiwan, according to opinion polls, say that they identify with the notion of Taiwanese consciousness. However, Lee said that the goal is to boost that number to 75 percent within four years.
"Candidates in the next presidential election should endeavor to win at least 55 percent of the vote," Lee said.
Urging Hoklo (more commonly known as Taiwanese) members of the KMT to realize that their party is under the control of politicians who are outside the social mainstream, Lee said that ethnic Taiwanese people have remained a part of the KMT only because they have come to rely on certain benefits that they have received as a result of Mainlander leadership.
Lee said that the KMT's leaders have too much in common with the Beijing authorities and that they don't mind seeing Taiwan harmed if it suits their political interests.
Commenting on a plan that would lead to a merger between the KMT and the PFP, Lee said the plan is riddled with trickery and conspiracy and that it would silence the voices of pro-localization party members, many of whom are leery of the proposal.
Meanwhile, Lee yesterday repeated his dismissal of China's recent threats to "crush" moves toward Taiwan's independence "at any cost," saying the bellicose statements were only bluffing on China's part.
"Some reporters asked me whether I was afraid of the threats. I said there is nothing to fear because barking dogs don't bite. Those were just deceptive tricks by the Chinese," Lee said.
"Furthermore, the guidelines they issued on cross-strait relations were only issued by the very low-ranking Taiwan Affairs Office. If the threats really did come from [Chinese President] Hu Jintao (
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
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