While some analysts and pan-green camp politicians praised President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inaugural speech as a conciliatory and practical approach to reality, pro-independence hardliners, such as the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), scorned his blueprint for Taiwan's future.
Chen's speech yesterday touched on several issues, including ethnic harmony and a sustainable future for Taiwan, with cross-strait relations and constitutional re-engineering being the highlights.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus praised the speech, and interpreted it as demonstrating the president's kind intentions.
"The president did not use provocative language but instead emphasized China's mentality in embracing nationalism. The president is showing kind intentions toward China," DPP caucus director-general Tsai Huang-liang (
Tsai pointed out that the speech was an expansion of the DPP's 1999 "Resolution on Taiwan's Future," in which the traditionally pro-independence party altered its rules to require
that changes to the nation's name and territory be agreed by the Taiwanese people, and that only the people can decide on unification or independence.
"The president has thrown the ball to China: he tells China not to suppress Taiwan any longer, and as long as China is sincere about becoming Taiwan's buddy, then Taiwan and China can be friends, neighbors or even family," Tsai said.
Tsai also noted that Chen avoided the term "rewriting the Constitution" due to international and cross-strait ambivalence and out of consideration for nurturing harmony between the governing and opposition forces.
While Chen still aimed to create a constitution tailored for Taiwan, "The president had already mapped out clearly a vision for making a new constitution in 2008, and the term "rewrite" or "re-engineering" was just a means to reach the goal," Tsai said.
Chang Wu-yen (張五岳), a professor in the Institute of China Studies at Tamkang University, said that Chen tried his best to be inclusive, although it was impossible to please everyone.
"Avoiding using terms such as 'writing a new constitution,' resorting to a referendum for the new constitution and touching politically controversial issues in the speech has relieved the tension between China and Taiwan," Chang said.
"The speech is halfway to success for improving cross-strait relations, but whether the president can really succeed depends on his future moves, whether he can adopt practical moves to match the blueprint he offered in the speech," Chang said.
Chang said that if China remained unsatisfied after Chen takes practical measures to demonstrate his benign intentions, then China would be held responsible for the tension in the Taiwan Strait.
Several pro-independence heavyweights who attended the inauguration ceremony were also positive about Chen's speech.
World United Formosans for Independence chairman Ng Chiau-tong (
National Policy Advisor Alice King (
DPP Legislator Trong Tsai (
"The president on one hand rejected the `one China' policy tactfully, and asked China to admit the existence of the Republic of China. It was a clever move. He spoke very well today," Tsai said.
However, DPP legislator Lin Cho-shui (
Lin said that he was a pro-independence figure and could "understand with empathy" Chen's stand but did not fully approve of Chen's direction.
"The reconfirmation of the `five noes' principles and the statement of the possibility of the `relations in any form' was quite some compromise. The US will be pleased, while China may still criticize Chen, but it will remain calm," Lin said.
"I hope that the president won't eliminate independence to move to a more central course," Lin said.
Lin's criticism was mild compared with the TSU's attack.
"We won't expect the DPP to be the torchbearer for the pursuit of Taiwan's sovereignty anymore. Instead, the TSU will take over this responsibility," TSU Secretary General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
Lin said that the TSU was unhappy that Chen skipped the issue of name rectification and demarcating the nation's territory when he talked about constitutional re-engineering.
"Writing a new constitution is a response to public demand. Chen's blueprint for the new constitution is also his own will, and has not got a consensus from the public. It is important that the people should be able to decide on what they want," Lin said.
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