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Internal divisions a continued threat to Taiwan

"The biggest crisis facing Taiwan is that, even without the existence of [Beijing's] `Anti-Secession' Law, the country itself has fallen apart first with its continued division and infighting."

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) made this comment on Tuesday in light of an official visit to China by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) this week.

Similar concerns were expressed by a member of the public named Chuang Sheng-jung (莊勝榮), who in a letter published in a local Chinese-language daily yesterday said: "Who needs an enemy like Communist China when one has a selfish opposition party?"

Noting that the remarks made by Chen reflected "his personal feelings due to the distrust opposition parties have toward him," political observers said that aside from the political arena -- where partisan division is apparent and emotions run high -- people in Taiwan generally all get along pretty well.

"The KMT's China trip -- made against the backdrop of Beijing's newly-enacted Anti-Secession Law -- indeed does, however, cause confusion among the international community in terms of Taiwan's stance," said Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華), a political analyst and a sociology professor at National Chengchi University.

Headed by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤), the 34-member delegation is more than halfway through a five-day visit to China.

Ku said that while the KMT's official visit to China may have significance to the party given its past history, it "should heed the mainstream opinion in Taiwan and thus, be more careful with its conduct."

Chiang's trip comes at a sensitive time, given that the delegation left just two days after around a million people demonstrated on the streets of Taipei to protest the Anti-Secession Law, which codifies the use of "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan.

"The timing of the KMT's visit to China without doubt confuses the international community and may very well create somewhat of an illusion to the world that the people of Taiwan are not that opposed to Beijing's law -- as the rally otherwise suggested," Ku said.

Expressing a similar view, political observer and the editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine, Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒) said "the timing of the KMT delegation to China gives room for Beijing to interpret that Taiwan is, after all, not united but divided."

"When it comes to dealing with cross-strait issues, KMT members oftentimes dismiss others' criticism as unfairly coloring them red," Chin said.

"This time around, however, the KMT cannot and should not blame others for painting them red with China brush because with what they've done, they are seemingly the ones inviting others to paint them red," Chin said.

Noting that the KMT is a Taiwanese opposition party, Ku suggested that it should devote more time to becoming a localized party instead of scratching its head over how to deal with the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

"Otherwise, I fear the KMT may eventually drift further and further away from the people of Taiwan," Ku said.

Political analysts said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government should -- in the wake of last Saturday's rally -- make relevant adjustments in its policies regarding cross-strait affairs and economic issues, to show the people of Taiwan that the Chen administration is responsible and that it takes the people's wellbeing seriously.

"The million-people rally, as passionate as it may have been, was after all just an event carried out by the people; the Chen Shui-bian administration ... should put forth with more substantive actions in response to the series of events in the wake of the enactment of the Anti-Secession Law, Chiang's visit to China, as well as the letter recently published by [Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp founder] Hsu Wen-long (許文龍)," Ku said.

"I think there is room for the DPP administration to do something more," he added.
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