Two days ahead of a vote in the legislature on whether he should be recalled, President Chen Shui-bian (
"Taiwan is a nascent democracy. Like most young democratic countries, we have run into many difficulties in the process of transforming from an authoritarian regime to a democracy," he said.
Chen said the nation's obstacles included resistance in the legislature, media and intelligence agencies.
PHOTO: CNA
Chen said that because Taiwan was not a normal country, he was an easy target for opposition parties to blame.
"But when I think of the 23 million people of Taiwan, I simply cannot give up. I must go on," he said. "For the sake of the country, its democracy, the sustainable development of the economy, cross-strait stability and social justice, I am willing to pay the price, bear the cross of persecution and even sacrifice myself."
Chen made the remarks yesterday morning while visiting the Huei-an Temple in his hometown in Tainan County.
He stopped at two temples yesterday, and visited his mother.
Chen told his supporters at Huei-an Temple that the temple trips arranged for Saturday and yesterday were to pray for the well-being of the 23 million people of Taiwan, and not for himself.
Especially with typhoon season approaching, Chen said that he prayed that everybody would be safe.
Since the change of government six years ago, he said, his political opponents have been trying to do everything they can to unseat him, including a recall proposal six months into his presidency. Fortunately, he weathered the political crisis and was re-elected in 2004 despite an assassination attempt.
"My life continues through Heaven's mercy. It does not belong to myself or any member of my family," he said. "I know democracy is not an easy road, but for the sake of freedom, human rights and peace, I will be strong and brave to lead the 23 million people of Taiwan to continue down the democratic road."
Chen said that the fate of Taiwanese people had been marred by hardship, but for a better future of the homeland and people, everybody has been willing to bear the burden, and so was he.
"I come from a poor family and I have always had to work extra hard to get what I want. I am a hanjigia [蕃薯仔, Hoklo for "son of the sweet potato," or "native son"] like everybody else. Please continue to support me and I promise I will not let you down," he said.
The legislature is set to vote on the recall motion tomorrow.
The motion is considered unlikely to pass, given the high threshold required -- it must win two-thirds support in the legislature before a nationwide referendum can be held.
A new political atmosphere is likely to emerge after tomorrow's legislative vote as Chen has proposed to push for political consultations with the opposition and talks with China after the vote on his recall.
Vice President Annette Lu (
Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Yu Shyi-kun also said he was planning to visit the leaders of the two main opposition parties after the legislative vote.
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
RSS