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Lu laughs off DPP's disciplinary plan

Vice President Annette Lu speaks at a forum in Hualien County yesterday, at which she proposed designating March 23 ``Taiwan Independence Day,'' saying that Taiwan had become independent on March 23, 1996, when its people directly elected their national leader. PHOTO: CNA

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday dismissed the DPP's plan to discipline presidential hopefuls defying the party's warning to stop bickering as "making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Contenders are bound to have different opinions in a primary," Lu said. "It would not be a primary if all the candidates thought the same and said the same thing."

Lu made the remarks in Hualien County in response to reporters' questions about the DPP's proposal to mete out disciplinary measures to dissenting aspirants.

Lu said that the best party discipline is the DPP's core values and if the party wishes to mete out disciplinary measures to members, it should examine whether the party member has deviated from the party's core values.

Lu also called on the other three contestants to keep their promise on an agreement they signed last month agreeing not to violate party election rules by running as an independent and to fully support the party's presidential and legislative candidates.

"It would not be a primary if all the candidates thought the same and said the same thing."

Annette Lu, vice president

Lu said that she would keep her promise even if fairness and openness were compromised in the lead up to the primary, but said she doubted whether the others would do the same.

Emphasizing harmony as a prerequisite to unity, Lu said that without fairness, there would be no harmony.

"I hope the factors compromising harmony and unity will be removed and those using their prerogative to attack others will stop," she said.

Meanwhile, Lu also proposed designating March 23 as "Taiwan Independence Day," saying that the Republic of China on Taiwan became an independent country on March 23, 1996, when the people directly elected their national leader.

"Only an independent, sovereign state allows its people to elect their national leaders," she said. "The 1996 election established the fact that Taiwan is not only a de facto but also a de jure independent sovereignty and China knows it very well."

Lu said the country's next president must take up the responsibility of building Taiwan into a more normal country and nobody works as hard in this endeavor as she does.
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