Lawmakers from across the political spectrum yesterday criticized Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) suggestion that the name of the country be changed to "Taiwan Republic of China (ROC)."
Lu said yesterday her desire to resolve political disputes was behind the suggestion and that the idea had nothing to do with amending the Constitution.
"The reason I made the suggestion to call our country `Taiwan ROC' is because I am concerned about the severe confrontations between the pan-green and pan-blue camps. This political chaos stems from the issue of different national identification among political forces, not ethnic conflict," Lu said in a statement issued by the Presidential Office yesterday.
"Everyone in the country now recognizes `Taiwan awareness' and `love Taiwan.' The major problem is that some people in the country put their entire lives into following the name `Republic of China,' while others put their faith in the name `Taiwan,'" she said. "Therefore, I suggested that both sides make concessions and call our country `Taiwan ROC,' which is aimed at facilitating harmony and the union of all Taiwanese people."
Lu stressed that her suggestion was not related to amending the Constitution, which would be required to change the country's official name, and that she supports President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on the constitutional reform issue.
Criticism of her suggestion came from across party lines.
Pan-blue and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislators as well as academics from the US said Lu's remark did nothing to eliminate political disputes and served only to make things more complicated.
"Less than a month after Chen promised that the upcoming constitutional re-engineering project would not touch on the issues of sovereignty, independence or territory, Lu can't wait to destroy Chen's credibility," said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus leader Huang Teh-fu (黃德福).
The Presidential Office originally refused to comment on Lu's remark, saying it wasn't necessary to react to the vice president's "personal opinion," but later issued a statement to address criticism by opposition politicians.
The statement said Chen clearly defined the substance of constitutional reform in his inauguration speech and that further remarks would not alter his plan.
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