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Lien has not been sincere to people of Taiwan: Chen

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan as an insincere candi-date, saying that Lien not only concealed his assets to evade taxes, but even deceived the electorate in the election campaign itself.

Whether Lien lied during the televised presidential debate last Saturday is now becoming a hot issue on which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is developing its attacks, and Chen decided to fuel the fires personally.

In the book, Lien Advocates which Lien wrote himself, on page 22 it says, "On our view on `one China,' the KMT's position has never changed; we accept the goal of reunification." Then, on page 23, it says, "As far as methods of integration are concerned, the confederation is one which is worth considering; it preserves the notion that there are many possible routes to reunification."

"How can Lien deny that he has stated these positions?" Chen said during the weekly meeting of the DPP's Central Standing Committee yesterday afternoon.

In his book, Chen said, Lien not only raised the confederation system, but he also proposed extending the nine-year educational program to 12 years and expanding the diversified enrolment system. But during last Saturday's televised debate, he proposed completely different policies and even denied what he had advocated in the past.

"When I made my `five noes' statement in my inauguration speech to promise of defend the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Lien just strengthens his `five noes plus one' to display his conservative and anti-reform thinking," Chen said.

Lien's "five noes plus one," according to Chen, means that Lien does not insist on protecting Taiwan's sovereignty, does not support any kind of reform, does not believe in the 23 million Taiwanese people, is not honest in reporting his family assets and is not responsible for his policies.

"The additional `no' is that Lien does not change," Chen said. "Because his stance of supporting `one China,' his relationships with corrupt figures, his anti-democratic personality, all have not changed."

Chen also criticized the Lien family for evading taxes, providing inaccurate declarations of their assets, including the concealment of the family's overseas property. He said all this amounted to a serious deception of the people.

"Honesty is a basic requirement for one who would serve as the head of state," Chen said.

Talking about his referendum plan, Chen asked how Lien and his running mate James Soong (宋楚瑜), chairman of the People First Party (PFP), dared to advocate opposing such a historical event.

"It just proves again that the pan-blue camp is only concerned about whether they will win and ignores the question of whether Taiwan will lose," the president said.

"The Beijing authorities played the `one country two systems' trick on Hong Kong, and now the KMT-PFP alliance is trying to play the same trick in Taiwan," he added.

Meanwhile, DPP legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) again said the Lien family has evaded up to NT$400 million in taxes.

Tuan cited official documents from Taipei City tax authorities on Monday to allege that Lien's daughter Lien Hui-hsin (連惠心) was once under investigation for tax evasion. Tuan said that Lien might have used his daughter's name to evade paying the gift tax.

KMT spokesman Alex Tsai (蔡正元) and Lien Hui-hsin both denied Tuan's allegation.

Tuan vowed, however, that he would end his political career if Lien proved his innocence.
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