Hsieh, Ma go head to head in debate

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidates Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) went head to head in their first pre-election televised debate yesterday. They discussed issues ranging from national identity and cross-strait affairs to the economy, environment and social welfare.

Both saw eye to eye in seeking direct transportation links with China, with Hsieh and Ma pledging to negotiate and implement weekend direct charter flight services within three months of being elected president. Ma added that he would push for daily flights within six months.

On national identity, Ma, a Mainlander born in Hong Kong, stressed his Taiwanese identity promising to prioritize the nation's future and people's needs if elected.

"I am Taiwanese. I am a Taiwanese who grew up in Wanhua. I am a Taiwanese who grew up eating Taiwanese rice and drinking Taiwanese water," he said.

"I want to act as an upright Taiwanese, and I will be buried in this land. I gave up my job in the US and I gave up my [US] green card. Nothing will change my love for Taiwan," Ma said.

Hsieh said he has never hesitated to call himself Taiwanese and that he has educated his children to think likewise.

Hsieh criticized Ma for being inconsistent in defining his identity as a decade ago he had called himself a "new Taiwanese," changing it to "Taiwanese and Chinese" five years ago and then yesterday calling himself a "genuine Taiwanese."

Pressing on allegations that Ma holds permanent US residency -- an issue the Hsieh camp has hinted indicates a lack of confidence in Taiwan's future -- Hsieh yesterday questioned whether Ma was willing to promise that he and his wife had never possessed US or Hong Kong citizenship.

Hsieh also asked whether Ma would apologize to the public if evidence proved that he possessed US permanent residency before Jan. 27 this year.

"National identity is not a lip service issue," he said. "When Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was studying at Harvard some 30 years ago, she did not apply for a green card or permanent residency."

Ma responded that he had explained twice last month that he and his wife Chow Mei-ching (周美青) both gave up their green cards some 20 years ago.

"My wife and I did not obtain permanent residency or nationality from the US or other countries," he said. "We did once have green cards, but we gave up residency 20 years ago."

The two also crossed swords on the issue of integrity, accusing each other of corruption.

Hsieh became emotional when Ma questioned the integrity of Hsieh's aides involved in various corruption charges, while querying Hsieh's role.

Ma, while pledging to put his and his wife's stocks into a trust and vowing to prevent his family members from serving as government officials if elected, condemned Hsieh over Kaohsiung City Government officials' alleged involvement in corruption cases under his administration.

"Shouldn't you be responsible for government officials' corruption cases as a former premier and Kaohsiung mayor? Should people tolerate such a government for four more years?" Ma said.

In response, Hsieh, noting Ma's graft charges over his mayoral allowance case during his stint as Taipei mayor, criticized Ma for double standards.

Hsieh also dismissed Ma's claim that none of his aides were indicted for corruption and berated Ma for requesting that the prosecutor handling his corruption case be removed.