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UN referendum no election ploy: Hsieh

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday that pushing Taiwan's participation in the UN has always been one of his concerns and not just an election campaign ploy.

He also said that Taiwan should cherish the US as a "strategic partner" and continue communicating with it about the DPP's UN referendum bid because Taiwan and the US share strategic interests.

While paying a visit yesterday to Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), Hsieh reminded reporters that he had led a delegation to the UN more than a decade ago to seek membership in the world body.

"Some UN representatives told me then that Taiwan should form a unitary voice first," he said, adding that this was why the DPP had proposed holding a referendum.

Participating in the UN under the name "Taiwan" does not necessarily require changes to the Constitution or the national title, he said.

Meanwhile, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun attended a public hearing of the referendum proposal at the Cabinet's Referendum Review Committee yesterday.

On his way to the meeting, Yu told reporters that the US' disapproval of the bid was groundless because many UN members, such as Switzerland and the Republic of Macedonia, joined the organization under names that were not their national titles.

"I initiated the referendum proposal to allow Taiwanese to express their will and hope that this could increase Taiwan's participation in international affairs," Yu said.

"A referendum is a basic human right and is an internal affair. It is also a symbol of democracy. The US itself has held many referendums in the past," Yu said, adding that he could not understand why the US opposed Taiwan's referendum proposal.

"The only explanation is the US fears pressure from China. But I think the US, which wants to maintain a balance of power, should uphold justice," he said.

Singapore criticized Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum on UN membership yesterday, calling it "provocative and irresponsible."

"Singapore opposes any unilateral move to alter the status of Taiwan," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "The proposal to put Taiwan's UN membership bid under the title `Taiwan' to a referendum is provocative and irresponsible."
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