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Departing DPP chairman wants to talk to Beijing

DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung passes roses that he has received from his friends to journalists during a farewell party held yesterday. Lin is scheduled to leave office today. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) enjoyed his last day in his post yesterday, saying he would like to visit China after stepping down in order to voice the opinions of the people of Taiwan and the DPP to Beijing's leaders.

Lin made the remarks at a press conference following a farewell party held for him at the DPP's central headquarters.

"Taiwan is already an independent, sovereign state. China should assent to this reality first," Lin said.

He said that if he had the opportunity to visit China, he would try to understand its political and economic situation and local cultures but the more important thing for him would be to express the DPP's opinion and the stance of the people of Taiwan.

Lin stressed that Taiwan's politicians should not engage in conciliatory discussions with Chinese leaders. "If we do so, we will mislead them and they will make the wrong decisions."

He added that in the past decade, as democracy took hold in Taiwan, the island developed an ideology of "Taiwan first," which meant "never accepting being ruled by any other country."

The DPP will inaugurate its new chairman today, when Lin formally transfers the chairmanship to his successor, Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

Many DPP officials gathered at the party to show their respect, followed by dancing, singing, reciting poems and playing a videotape which featured Lin's life experiences since his childhood.

Lin also held a press conference after the party, saying he expected to devote his time to helping people understand their duties as the "real masters of the country."

"To achieve the dream of building a society of `truth, goodness and beauty' (真善美)," Lin said, "Taiwan needs to enhance its democratic essence ... Taiwanese still do not realize what their responsibilities are and what skills they have to develop," Lin said.

Echoing incoming chairman Frank Hsieh's slogan of becoming a "complete ruling party" (全面執政), Lin reminded party members that power was only a means to the end of carrying out the party's platform for moving the country forward.

"The DPP should be careful in executing power, to avoid corruption," Lin said.

He therefore hinted that the judiciary should investigate vote-buying in any internal party election.

"Since the DPP began to receive government subsidies, it has been an institution for public representation," Lin said, "I think the party's internal election procedures should abide by the law and respect the authority of the government."

Lin was one of the so-called Kaohsiung Eight, a group of martial law-era democracy activisits involved in the Kaohsiung Incident of 1979. His two daughters and his mother were murdered in 1980 while he was in prison awaiting trial. He became a symbol of the sufferings of Taiwan's people in the name of democracy.
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