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Hsieh open to proposal to delay UN referendums

Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, right, meets Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei yesterday at the TSU's headquarters in Taipei. PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday that he would consider postponing the two referendums scheduled to be held alongside with the presidential election.

"I have some personal ideas about the issue and I will communicate them to the president the next time we meet," he said. "Of course we also need to talk to the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT]."

He made the remarks after meeting with Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) at TSU headquarters yesterday afternoon.

Huang told reporters after the closed-door meeting that Hsieh supported his proposal that the referendums be postponed and held separately from the March election.

Hsieh, however, stressed that he first needed to discuss the idea with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the KMT.

The DPP wants a referendum to be held on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT wants a referendum on "rejoining" the UN using as the Republic of China (ROC), or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) is scheduled to meet on Feb. 1 to decide whether the two referendums will be held alongside the presidential election and if so, whether a "one-step" or "two-step" voting format would be used.

Hsieh said resolving the referendum issue would take wisdom. He said the country's long-term interests must be taken into consideration and that national interest must transcend partisan ones.

"The bottom line is that the [DPP's] referendum must pass or it will do more harm than good to Taiwan," he said.

Huang said he had made a similar proposal to Chen, but the president had not responded positively to the idea.

As to when the two referendums should be held, Huang said the DPP and the KMT could negotiate the issue or the president could call a meeting to discuss the matter and let the legislature propose only one referendum.

He also said that the TSU would not disband, even though it did not win a single seat in the legislative elections.

Huang said the party's new "center left" direction was correct and that it would continue along that path because 350,000 voters cast their second-ballot for it in the elections.

"In addition to insisting on Taiwan-centered consciousness, we will continue to take care of the disadvantaged, the middle-class, farmers and laborers," he said.

He also said he had dropped the idea of stepping down as TSU chairman after committee members asked him to stay.

Huang made the remarks after the party's Central Executive Committee met to discuss the fate of the party.

He attributed the party's defeat to the new electoral system, which he said the CEC had done a poor job of promoting.

He said the TSU should have transformed itself much earlier, but the DPP's strategy of encouraging voters to dump the TSU had also hurt the party.

"The DPP did whatever it could to wipe out the TSU," Huang said.

"I wonder whether we are a friend or a foe. If we were friends, why did they try to annihilate us? If we were foes, why is Hsieh here seeking our support?" the TSU chief said.

Hsieh, who is also DPP chairman, said he had apologized to Huang yesterday for the DPP's actions.

However, Hsieh said even good friends or married couples quarrel and that elections are a zero-sum game.

Asked if the TSU would support the DPP's presidential ticket, Huang said his members would support those who "truly love Taiwan and take care of Taiwan."

TSU members will also support candidates who "demonstrate leadership skills, present a clear goal of national development and have the ability to unite the people of Taiwan to overcome current difficulties," he said.
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