Annette Lu says New Yorkers can't understand ads

As Taiwan launched its bid for UN membership, the Government Information Office introduced this year's ad campaign for the bid. Vice President Annette Lu says the ads are unclear. PHOTO: WANG PEI-LIN, TAIPEI TIMES

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday criticized the Government Information Office's advertisement to campaign for the UN bid, saying the advertisement's title "Unfair," which is intended to highlight the UN's unfairness in excluding Taiwan from the UN, is likely to create the impression that the UN is treating Taiwan fairly.

Speaking at the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) weekly Central Standing Committee, Lu said the ad, which is being circulated in New York City, might not necessarily deliver the expected message; rather, it might be interpreted as meaning that the UN is treating Taiwan fairly.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) yesterday quoted Lu as saying that "None of us is in New York to see the effect of this ad or to know whether it has delivered the expected message. The design of the ad, including the words and color arrangements, might not give the target audience a clear enough idea about what the ad is trying to say; rather it could cause a misunderstanding."

Lu urged the GIO to modify the design of the advertisement to allow the target audience to get a better idea about what it means.

Lu was speaking in response to a report made by Executive Yuan Secretary-General Authur Iap (葉國興) regarding the Cabinet's policies in promoting Taiwan's diplomatic status as well as Premier Yu Shyi-kun's recent referral to the country as "Taiwan, ROC."

The vice president yesterday opposed Yu's reference to the country as "Taiwan, ROC," saying the comma separating Taiwan and ROC reduces Taiwan into a part of the Republic of China. She insisted that Taiwan is the ROC and there shouldn't be any attempts to reduce Taiwan's status.

Lu said the discussion surrounding Yu's description of the country as "Taiwan, ROC" should come to an end.

In response to the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) recent discussion that that Taiwan equals the ROC, the Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智), also a member of the Central Standing Committee, yesterday proposed that the DPP should initiate a national identity campaign in the run up to the legislative elections.

Su said that while the KMT is proposing changing its central rationale on Taiwan's status in a bid to recognize the growing "localization" force, and the DPP is in the process of encapsulating ideas of ethnic diversity and national unity in the party charter, the timing is ripe for the country to initiate a nationwide campaign to further bolster the public conciousness of Taiwan's independence.

Su's proposal met with a positive response, and the party headquarters have decided to study the possibility of including the proposal in the agenda for the year-end legislative election campaign.

In response to the party's campaign, Nantou County Commissioner Lin Tsung-nan (林宗男) yesterday expressed concerns about the Taiwan Solidarity Union's emerging power, which he said could overtake the DPP's traditional line in supporting Taiwan independence.

DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮) then suggested the DPP should hold activities to purge the legacy of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) as part of the legislative campaign activities.

Reacting to Chai's suggestion, Lu, who presided over yesterday's CSC meeting on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said the issue is a huge matter and should be further discussed after the president returns to the country.