Independence activists yesterday said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had disqualified himself as a national leader following his controversial remark that Taiwan “will never ask the Americans to fight for Taiwan in a war.”
The Taiwan Nation Alliance and Taiwan National Security Institute issued a joint statement, in Chinese and English, denouncing Ma for seriously compromising Taiwan's security and discrediting himself as Taiwan's head of state.
They said Ma's remarks “fundamentally contravene the majority will of the people of Taiwan” and that the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese welcomed US support for maintaining peace and security in the Taiwan Strait, including dispatching soldiers if necessary.
They also said the will of the majority dovetailed with the US interest of seeing a democratic, free and prosperous Taiwan and maintaining peace and security in the East Asian region.
Ma's submission to China would lead to the ultimate extinction of Taiwan and turmoil in East Asia, they said.
Ma's comment would pave the way for China's military conquest of Taiwan and his attempt to sell out Taiwan would be repudiated by Taiwanese in the presidential election in 2012, they said.
They appealed to the US to continue to sell Taiwan defensive weapons, including F-16C/D fighter jets and submarines, and maintain its commitment to safeguarding peace and security in the Taiwan Strait.
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) said Ma seemed to speak on behalf of China rather than Taiwan.
“What he said runs against Taiwan's security and national interest,” he said. “Taiwan needs international support and we must accelerate the effort to build a Taiwanese nation.”
Taiwan New Century Foundation chairman Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志) said Ma made a “big blunder” when he made the remarks and Ma did not speak for most Taiwanese.
“We the Taiwanese people realize that we must do our utmost to defend and protect our nation,” Chen said. “But in a globalized world of ever increasing interdependence and danger, which country in the world can really stand alone? Collective security of mutual defense and assistance is the answer.”
Chen said Taiwan now has a president who has shown “every sign of leaning on China and of submitting to China's will in [Ma's] pursuit of so-called ‘ultimate unification with China,’” adding that Ma betrayed his campaign promises and acted against the popular will of the Taiwanese people.
Saying Ma’s remarks would invite great disaster, former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷) said he hoped Ma made the remarks out of ignorance and not intentionally.
Reverend William Luo (羅榮光) of the Presbyterian Church urged Taiwanese voters “never” to elect Ma again, describing him as dictatorial and determined to sell out Taiwan.
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