The government’s announcement that it will not be making a formal bid for UN membership this year has drawn heated objections from opposition party lawmakers, who yesterday said the move would deepen Taiwan’s international isolation.
On Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) outlined the government’s approach to participate in UN specialized agencies instead of applying for full UN membership through Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. He said the strategy was because of changes in the cross-strait and international situations, adding that it was in line with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policies of flexible diplomacy.
However, speaking in the legislature yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) slammed the decision, saying the move broke pledges that the president made during his election campaign in 2008.
“‘Return to the United Nations,’ that was a campaign motto he used on numerous occasions. It’s becoming clear now that it was all a lie and an election ploy,” DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) said.
He also called the move an example of how the Ma administration backed down in the face of Chinese pressure. China is heavily opposed to Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations that require statehood, having vowed to counter any bid for the nation’s admission to the UN.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) argued that the lack of a formal bid this year could mean more trouble for Taiwan down the road, if it were to launch a similar proposal in the future.
“If Taiwan were to resume its bid in the future, it will be seen as a provocation by the [international community],” she said. “Ma’s administration is basically killing off Taiwan’s chances for an international voice.”
The decision was also panned by DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠), who said it eroded years of efforts by not only the former DPP administration, but also the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government before it.
“Through our past efforts working hard to join the UN, we have already gathered quite a bit of international attention,” she said.
Attacking Ma for failing to push for Taiwan’s re-entry in the UN, the DPP’s Taipei mayoral candidate, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), at a separate setting urged Ma to stop disappointing the people by belittling Taiwan’s sovereignty and national dignity.
Taiwan began its attempts to re-enter the UN in 1993, two decades after the Republic of China mission was replaced by the People’s Republic of China in 1971. In 2008, the government announced that it would give up making a formal bid through its diplomatic allies.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday called on the DPP to avoid turning the issue of UN membership into an election tactic, saying that the Ma government would not waver in its approach.
“Returning to the UN is the hope of the Taiwanese people, but what did the DPP accomplish during its eight years in office?” he asked.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
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