President Chen Shui-bian (
"The most important task at hand is reforming the Constitution to consolidate our democracy and the foundations for Taiwan's future and long-term development," Chen said at a banquet last night at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Declaration of Formosan Self-Salvation written by Peng Ming-min (彭明敏).
Peng, a senior presidential advisor and widely regarded as the godfather of the nation's independence movement, was joined by around 550 guests, including Deputy Premier Yeh Chu-lan (
The fundraising banquet was also held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Peng Ming-min Foundation.
Chen said the occasion recognized and honored Peng's lifelong devotion to Taiwan. He described Peng as "Taiwan's warrior" and likened Peng to a "beacon" in the nation's slow walk to democracy.
"The declaration drafted by Peng and his allies said something that no one else dared to say ... We respect and are in awe of their courage," Chen said.
At the time, Peng was director of the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University. He drafted the declaration with two students, Hsieh Tsung-min (
The document declared that China and Taiwan should be recognized as separate legal entities; that it was impossible to "retake the mainland" as one popular Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) slogan used to say, for the ideology served only to perpetuate the KMT regime; and that the KMT government represented neither China nor Taiwan.
The declaration also set three basic objectives: establish a new state with a new government, create a new constitution and join the UN as a new nation.
While acknowledging Taiwan's achievements in democratization, Chen drew a comparison with the US and other democratic countries, and said that there was still some room for improvement.
Peng expressed gratitude to those who helped him throughout the decades, and spoke also of the challenge that the country faces today.
"Everyone knows about Tai-wan's democracy now, but the main issue facing us is this: Are we willing to work and sacrifice to uphold and consolidate Taiwan's democracy?" Peng said.
Turning to the heated debate on the DPP government's NT$610.8 billion arms package, Peng showed little patience with those who opposed it.
"If these people dare to claim -- and really are -- lovers of peace as they say, then they should go to Beijing and promote their message of peace there," Peng said. "In view of the threat faced by the nation, we need to protect ourselves."
Peng, a native of Taichung County, said that the Feb. 28 Incident in 1947 aroused within him an abhorrence of the undemocratic and heavy-handed KMT regime, which led him, as a political scientist, to issue a public statement urging people to challenge it.
The Feb. 28 Incident saw clashes between Taiwanese and the newly-installed KMT government lead to the killing of tens of thousands of people.
A new edition of Peng's memoir, A Taste of Freedom, written overseas after escaping from Taiwan, was also released yesterday.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS