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Don't get lost in language on constitution: president

"It will still be a constitution that the nation's armed forces must safeguard."

President Chen Shui-bian

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said the crux of the constitutional reform process is not parsing terms like "amend" or "create" -- rather, the crux of the matter is the legal procedure that must be followed in order for a new constitution to come into effect.

Underscoring his determination to push for a new constitution, Chen said that "the constitutional re-engineering project should not be a dispute about the use of words like`amend' and `create.' Rather, it is about following constitutional procedures to bring about a new constitution."

Chen made the comments yesterday while presiding over an event to mark the 80th anniversary of the Whampoa Military Academy (黃埔軍校) -- the predecessor of the Chinese Military Academy in Fengshan, Kaohsiung.

The president reviewed a dress parade involving 2000 cadets from the academy and two other academies -- the Chinese Naval Academy and the Chinese Air Force Academy.

He also discussed his ideas for writing a new constitution, which he envisions taking effect in 2008.

Re-affirming his position on constitutional reform as he set it out in his inauguration speech, Chen said "the new constitution will not deal with changes relating to sovereignty and territory issues, nor independence and unification issues.

"Rather," Chen said, "the new constitution will seek to promote good governance and restructure governmental agencies. Therefore, it will still be a constitution that the nation's armed forces must safeguard. This is my promise and also an idea that everyone should endeavor to realize, and which should be distorted by no one."

Chen's remarks appeared to have been made in response to comments from former premier and minister of defense Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), who, while addressing a rally of retired Whampoa generals on Sunday, said that Chen's plan to reform the Constitution threatens to "harms territorial integrity" between Taiwan and China.

In his capacity as commander of the armed forces, Chen yesterday re-affirmed the importance of the professionalism and loyalty among military staff despite changes in ruling parties.

"As the country is facing a military threat from China, the notion of `one national unity' is very important in the ability of the Republic of China's government to maintain security of the 23 million people of Taiwan."

The Whampoa academy was established in 1924 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. It produced many military elites who fought in the eight-year Sino-Japanese war during WWII. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) later re-established it in Fengshan, Kaohsiung.

Its alumni include Chinese communist revolutionaries Lin Biao (林彪) and Zhou Enlai (周恩來), who were later expelled by Chiang in an effort to clean up the KMT.

Chen yesterday spoke of the new spirit of Whampoa, saying the traditional Whampoa spirit of sacrifice, solidarity and responsibility should be combined with new notions of courage, trust and faith in a new era.

"Current Whampoa officers should build their faith upon the government and the requirements laid down by the Constitution. Their national identity and loyalty to the nation won't change regardless off changes in leadership," the president said.

This year's anniversary of the academy was particularly high-profile, as China was also celebrating the anniversary and had invited veterans in Taiwan to attend celebrations in China.

Yesterday was the first time Chen had inspected the troops since the May 20 inauguration.

The celebration in Kaohsiung saw few veterans in attendance. People First Party Legislators Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠) and Chiu Yi (邱毅) refused to stand as Chen arrived.
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