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Presidential election 2008: 8 days to go: Hsieh will not rule out negotiations over referendums

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday said he will not give up on the possibility of negotiating with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the UN referendum.

"There are still a few days left before the legislature goes into a recess," Hsieh said. "The governing and opposition parties should continue to negotiate."

Hsieh made the remark in response to the KMT's decision on Wednesday to support its referendum on rejoining the UN and boycott the referendum proposed by the DPP on joining the UN under the name "Taiwan."

Criticizing the KMT for making contradictory decision on the issue, Hsieh said the KMT has garnered millions of signatures to endorse its referendum proposal but now they said they would respect members who boycott both referendums.

"It is irresponsible," he said.

While KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has said that he would support the KMT's referendum proposal, Hsieh said the KMT made a decision that ran counter to Ma's.

"It shows Ma cannot carry out his will," Hsieh said. "It is a pity they throttle the opportunity for the Taiwanese people to voice their will to the international community."

Hsieh said the best-case scenario would be for the DPP's referendum proposal to succeed. It would also be acceptable if both referendums pass.

The DPP's referendum is not an attempt to change the status quo, Hsieh said, nor is it a move toward de jure independence.

If it succeeds, Hsieh said he would explain to the international community that it will not cause tension in the Taiwan Strait.

Meanwhile, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) ran an article written by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) urging the public to support the two referendums. The article said the KMT's decision to boycott the UN referendums proves that it has always opposed referendum and democracy.
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