Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of ignoring his efforts to prolong the existence of the party through democratization and localization.
Speaking at the Lee Teng-hui School to mark Constitution Day, Lee said that an article by Ma on the Constitution in yesterday's China Times did not present KMT history honestly.
"He deliberately talked about minor parts [of the history] and neglected important parts. He wouldn't dare admit that the KMT's lifespan was prolonged because of my efforts to democratize and localize the party," he said.
Ma had argued that the Constitution operated meaningfully in Taiwan for more than five decades.
"It's the basis of our ... ROC constitutional system. On this point, ours are quite different from the Democratic Progressive Party's [DPP] ideas."
Ma argued that applying the existing Constitution was more practical than rewriting it.
Lee said Ma had avoided explaining the history of the document as it related to Taiwan.
In response, Ma said only that Lee should be happy that "everybody knows his contribution to the democratization of Taiwan."
But Lee also took a swipe at President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), claiming that Taiwan needed a smart leader with deep religious conviction who knew how to take the helm of the country.
"A responsible national leader should connect with the people's pain rather than pay attention only to the media. He must create his own charisma based on a sense of mission for Taiwan," he said.
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