Pro-independence groups yesterday urged president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) not to make any concessions to China and to assert Taiwanese identity by focusing her inauguration speech on public opinion rather than “China policy” as her predecessor did.
Taiwan National Security Institute president Lo Fu-chen (羅福全) said Tsai does not need to mention the so-called “1992 consensus,” but should instead declare her resolve to lead the nation in developing a global perspective.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“Tsai’s inauguration speech is not just for Taiwan and China, but the whole world. She does not need to bring up the ‘1992 consensus,’ which is a fabrication and does not exist. What she has to make clear is the opinions of Taiwanese,” Lo said. “According to several polls, more than 70 percent of Taiwanese believe that Taiwan is not part of China, and Taiwan is their nation.”
Lo said he hoped Tsai’s speech would not be limited to economic policies, because a more important thing is to make Taiwan a member of the international community.
“Taiwan is internationally recognized as a democratic country that does not belong to China and, hopefully, Tsai can say something like ‘Taiwan has to go global and make contributions to international society,’” he said.
World United Formosans for Independence chairman Chen Nan-tien (陳南天) said the Chinese government and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) are putting pressure on the new government as they try to keep Taiwan dependent on China, but most people identify themselves as Taiwanese instead of Chinese, and it is high time to steer away from the “one China” framework.
Tsai, as the head of a sovereign state, should make her inauguration speech with the public in mind and should not be swayed by foreign forces, Flanc Radical spokesman Ho Cheng-hui (何澄輝) said, adding that it would be ridiculous to respond to China’s expectations,.
“The fictitious ‘1992 consensus’ not only allows China to intervene in Taiwan, but also undermines Taiwanese democracy,” Ho said.
“The greatest significance of this transfer of power [from the KMT to the Democratic Progressive Party] is the denial of the 1992 consensus and Chinese values, as well as the reassertion of democratic values,” Ho said.
The foundation of the new government is not China’s will, but “the will of Taiwanese,” which is what gives authority and legitimacy to future administrations, Fu Jen Catholic University philosophy professor Shen Ching-kai (沈清楷) said.
Tsai would be limiting herself to the “one China” framework should she acknowledge the “1992 consensus,” thereby continuing the Ma administration’s policy to maintain the “status quo” of “moving toward unification,” Shen said.
The Tsai administration would be heading into a storm should it betray the public, Shen added.
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