Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) proposal to suspend the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause” to boost its chances of returning to power was deemed unnecessary by his own party yesterday, but it earned rare acclaim from China.
Beijing, which rarely agrees with the DPP, praised Ker’s proposal yesterday, with Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青) describing the caucus whip as “a man of vision” and his initiative as “a positive sign, as well as an important step in the right direction if the initiative is approved by the party.”
The “independence clause” is an article in the party’s charter that calls for the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan. Beijing has always said that the clause is a primary roadblock to it engaging with the DPP.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
However, members of the DPP, including DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), gave Ker’s suggestion the cold shoulder, saying that the controversial proposal was untimely and could spark an unnecessary dispute in the party and violate the spirit on which it was founded.
Su said that suspending the clause is a non-issue because the DPP views Taiwan as an independent and sovereign country given the series of constitutional amendments, presidential elections and legislative elections that have taken place over the years.
“Everyone’s opinion should be respected, but it is the consensus that matters. The consensus of Taiwanese is that the nation is sovereign and independent, and its future should be decided by the 23 million people who live here,” Su said.
Several DPP lawmakers also had reservations about Ker’s initiative, despite agreeing that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
“Taiwan’s independence is in the DPP’s DNA and it has never changed. Changing the ideology in exchange for bilateral engagement is not smart, nor would DPP supporters accept the abrupt change,” DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “Proposing suspending the independence clause before a major election is much ado about nothing. Besides, you don’t win support by abandoning your core values.”
The timing of Ker’s initiative is inappropriate because it is likely to incite an argument between the moderates and the fundamentalists in the party, DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said.
If the initiative was submitted on the presumption that it would facilitate engagement between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), doubts would inevitably arise, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said.
The first direct presidential election in 1996 and the follow-up DPP resolution on Taiwan’s future three years later had both established that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation, which “basically achieved the goal listed in the independence clause [written in 1991],” Lu said.
“The 1999 resolution on Taiwan’s future, to some extent, could be seen as a revision of the independence clause. I believe most people would find this acceptable,” she said.
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
COOPERATION: Taiwan is aligning closely with US strategic objectives on various matters, including China’s rare earths restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan could deal with China’s tightened export controls on rare earth metals by turning to “urban mining,” a researcher said yesterday. Rare earth metals, which are used in semiconductors and other electronic components, could be recovered from industrial or electronic waste to reduce reliance on imports, National Cheng Kung University Department of Resources Engineering professor Lee Cheng-han (李政翰) said. Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually rare — their abundance in the Earth’s crust is relatively high, but they are dispersed, making extraction and refining energy-intensive and environmentally damaging, he said, adding that many countries have opted to
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
RSS