Several pro-localization groups yesterday urged former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) and DPP member and former Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌) to stop meddling in the DPP and the younger generation’s pursuit of Taiwanese independence.
They said that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), following its bruising defeat in last year’s nine-in-one elections and to secure its chances in next year’s presidential and legislative elections, has been playing up the so-called “1992 consensus” in an attempt to divert public attention from the failures of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and focus on cross-strait relations.
The consensus refers to a supposed tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both Taiwan and China acknowledge there is “one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what that means.”
The groups, including the Taiwan Society, said in a joint statement that Hsu and Hung appear to have joined forces with the KMT in redirecting public attention, with Hsu recently stating that “the DPP would not reject unification of Taiwan and China as an option” and that “Taiwanese independence is not one of the DPP’s founding values,” while Hung said the DPP should not pursue “de jure independence” if it returns to power next year.
Hsu and Hung are not in tune with new developments in the independence discourse that are supported by the younger generation and gave rise to the Sunflower movement last year, the groups said, adding that the two had colluded with China and pro-China media in sensationalizing cross-strait issues.
The groups called on the DPP to prepare itself to be the future ruling party by staying on course with young people, who, they said, believes that “Taiwan is the country of Taiwanese.”
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