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Yu says resolution on normalization will boost party

Including a new resolution on normalization of the country in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) platform would benefit the party in next year's presidential election, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.

When asked to comment at a campaign event in Keelung yesterday, Yu said that his promotion of normalization of the nation fulfilled the wishes of the people.

"It is the responsibility of this generation to normalize the nation," he said.

"We should not leave it to our children and grandchildren," he added.

Yu was the only DPP presidential aspirant to have proposed abolishment of the DPP's "Resolution on Taiwan's Future (台灣前途決議文)" passed in 1999.

The resolution was written into the party platform in 1999 to replace the "Taiwan Independence Clause (台獨黨綱)" as part of the party's preparations for the 2000 presidential election.

Before that, the party's stance on national identity was embodied in the 1991 "Taiwan Independence Clause," which stated that the DPP would pursue the goal of an independent Republic of Taiwan.

Contrary to that clause, the 1999 resolution stated that the party recognized that Taiwan was already an independent country, named the "Republic of China."

Although Yu lost out in his DPP primary bid to former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), he said on Thursday that he would still seek to draft a "resolution on making Taiwan a normal country (正常國家決議文)" next week to replace the DPP's current "Resolution on Taiwan's Future."

Yu yesterday said the new resolution would be drafted in an open and democratic process that transcend party factions.

He dismissed media speculation yesterday that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) did not support his proposal.

"After he learned of my idea, he was supportive," he said. "Some media reports said the president did not approve of the new resolution, but I have not heard this."

Yu's move, however, stirred press speculation that he was targeting Hsieh because Hsieh had previously said that the resolution should remain.

When asked to comment, Yu said he was pushing the new resolution in a bid to secure a DPP victory in next year's presidential poll.

Hsieh dismissed speculation that Yu was trying to sabotage his election bid.

Presidential backing

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday threw his weight behind the proposed resolution.

"I personally support the new resolution in 2008. I have high expectations of the resolution and support it fully," Chen said yesterday during a teleconference with foreign media in Geneva regarding Taiwan's bid to join the WHO.

Chen said it was "understandable" that the country needed the new resolution, and added that the proposed resolution could coexist with the current one.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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