Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun yesterday urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
"He should give up pursuing unification with China ... He should give up the so-called `one China' framework. He should model his party on the Taiwan People's Party founded by Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水) and change the KMT to the `Taiwanese Nationalist Party' to show he truly identifies with Taiwan," Yu told a press conference.
Commenting on Ma's plan to make "long-stay" visits to central and southern Taiwan, Yu said it showed that Ma was not familiar with Taiwan because "long stay" usually meant "staying in a strange place in other countries."
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Judging from this, Ma does not regard Taiwan as his homeland. His [national] identity remains problematic," Yu said.
Yu appeared at the press conference along with four senior DPP officials wearing high school uniforms dating from the martial law period as part of the party's remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the end of martial law.
The DPP officials said wearing the school uniforms highlighted the absurdity of martial law rule.
Yu said the lifting of martial law in 1987 was not a benevolent move by former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).
"Taiwanese democracy comes from the public's sacrifice and effort rather than from the former dictator's relaxation of his policies," Yu said.
"Chiang Ching-kuo announced the lifting of martial law because he faced pressure from the public," DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
He said this was why the party had labeled its activities to mark the end of martial law as "Pay Respect to the Taiwanese People."
Although it has been 20 years since martial law ended, Taiwan's democratization was not complete and it must continue to push for transitional justice, Yu said.
Martial law was imposed on May 19, 1949 and lifted on July 15, 1987.
The DPP said it would invite President Chen Shui-bian (
Meanwhile, senior Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members defended Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) yesterday for his contributions and condemned the DPP for "manipulating the ethnicity issue."
"Mr. Chiang did so many things for Taiwan. He promoted many native Taiwanese and placed great importance in public opinion," former Examination Yuan president Hsu Shui-teh (許水德) said during a forum at KMT headquarters to commemorate the anniversary.
"He [Chiang] made more contributions than those who have done nothing but talk about localization," Hsu said.
New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (
"Chiang led the country to open up more opportunities, but the DPP government has closed the doors and made the public suffer," Yok said.
Hsu said Chiang had considered lifting martial law in 1978 when he became president, and had formed a special committee to discuss the issue in 1986.
A KMT photo exhibition documenting the period when Chiang ended martial law is on view in Tainan through Sunday. The show moves to Taichung next week and then to Taoyuan County.
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