Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was noncommittal yesterday about constitutional reform, saying she would let the public fully discuss the issue and reach a consensus if she is elected president in January’s election.
Tsai, winner of the DPP’s recent three-way presidential primary, said it was important to deepen Taiwan’s democracy. To reach that goal, it was imperative to strengthen the governmental system, she added.
“I will let the public fully discuss the issue [of constitutional reform] if I’m elected,” she said on the sidelines of a forum held to mark the 20th anniversary of the abolition of the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (動員戡亂時期臨時條款).
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“We will move on to the next stage if a consensus is reached. The most important thing is that the Taiwanese public must think about the issue, discuss it and come to a consensus,” she said.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who delivered the opening speech at the two-day forum hosted by Taiwan Advocates, the Taiwan Association of University Professors and three local think tanks yesterday, said the operation of the constitutional system in Taiwan was made possible after he nullified the temporary provisions in 1991.
The lifting of the temporary -provisions moved the country toward full elections for all legislative seats in 1992 and helped to bring about Taiwan’s first-ever direct elections for president in 1996.
The move also ended the civil war between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party, he said.
“The direct presidential election in 1996 was a national referendum reflecting the free will of the Taiwanese people,” he said. “It is a serene revolution and it is not easy.”
Lee called on supporters to protect Taiwan’s democracy and reclaim power from the KMT in January’s presidential election, saying only solidarity would help reach the goal. He urged the public to have faith and that the goals of enacting a new constitution, rectifying the name of the country and becoming a normal country would eventually be realized.
Tsai, in her keynote speech, emphasized the importance of sustainable democracy.
Calling the annulment of the temporary provisions “a significant milestone of Taiwan’s development of democracy and national consciousness,” Tsai said it was ironic that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) once vigorously opposed direct presidential elections, but he won the presidential poll in 2008.
The January elections are not only about the success or failure of individuals or competition between political parties, Tsai said, but about people having a say in the direction the nation takes and their expectations for democracy.
She proposed passing “sunshine laws,” to promote fair competition between political parties.
Government information must also be made more transparent, the referendum system made more reasonable and the thresholds for constitutional amendments lowered, she said.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS