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Chen keeps his distance from campaign

President Chen Shui-bian, left, admires a salt statue of the Butterfly Princess during a visit to Taichung and Taichung County yesterday. PHOTO: YANG MEI-HONG, TAIPEI TIMES

Noticeably absent from yesterday's march calling for an official name change for Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that he would have been there -- if he were not president.

"And I am not only willing to walk on the streets with everyone but would also take my grandson there," said Chen while attending a 10th anniversary celebration in Taipei for a bank workers' union.

Later, while speaking an event to promote local pomelo -- a traditional fruit for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival -- Chen encouraged the public to "eat good food in order to join the march."

Earlier this week, when asked by reporters to comment on the name-change campaign, Chen said that Taiwan is a democratic country with 100 percent freedom of speech and that everybody must respect and tolerate any kind of opinion.

However, he insisted that he is the head of the Republic of China.

Considering the possible negative impact on the DPP in the presidential election, the government decided to keep a low profile in responding to the name-change campaign. Therefore, the Presidential Office arranged for Chen to attend several activities in southern Taiwan while the march was going on in Taipei.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) also paid tribute to the marchers on the president's behalf, saying that Chen appreciated everyone's efforts, and would like to pay his tribute to the marchers.

"If the president appeared at the march or rally for the name-change campaign, the opposition parties would have the opportunity to attack Chen for promoting independence. That would result in the upcoming presidential campaign being turned into an ideological battle," Lee said.

"This is a direction in which the DPP is most unwilling go," Lee said.

"And those undecided voters, who do not belong to any political party, may choose to give up the DPP in next March's presidential election because they are worried that Chen's pro-independence behavior will raise China's ire," Lee said.

According to Lee, Chen also has to consider what the international community's reaction would be if he personally participated in the independence movement.

"The American and Japanese governments would be seriously concerned about any variable that could affect stability in the Taiwan Strait," Lee said.

"It is inappropriate that the government be directly involves in the campaign, which would allow Beijing authorities to accuse Taiwan of making trouble."

Therefore, said Lee, the Presidential Office assigned Chen's top aide, Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) on behalf of the president to receive the campaign's leaders.

After the march and rally yesterday, Chen reiterated that the movement to change the name of the nation needs more effort and should be "left to time."

The campaign, which was mobilized by the pro-independence TSU and DPP, had pressured the government to take an active leadership role in demonstration.

However, the Presidential Office has decided to keep its distance from the campaign and not get officially involved.
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