The head of state should not acquiesce to or incite ideological conflicts between pro-independence and pro-unification supporters, a problem that will incur immeasurable losses for the nation and can only be solved by consolidating a national identity, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) wrote in a speech he had planned to deliver at a symposium looking back on the nation’s six presidential elections.
Lee, 94, was listed as one of the keynote speakers, but canceled shortly before the event.
His office said in a statement that he was not feeling well and needed rest.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
His speech was read by Taiwan Research Fund founder Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄), who organized the symposium.
Lee’s speech began with a review of the nation’s efforts to transition from an authoritarian government to a democracy, starting with direct elections of lawmakers, mayors and commissioners to the ending of the Period of National Mobilization for the Suppression of Communist Rebellion in 1990 and the first presidential election in 1996.
The Constitution has undergone six amendments since 1990, which have effectively frozen the Taiwan Provincial Government and include a clause that says: “The president is elected by the people through direct election,” Lee wrote.
Freezing the provincial government helped resolve the issue of factionalized local politics, which often involved corruption, he wrote, but added that more importantly, it exposed the “lie” that Taiwan is a province of China and established that “Taiwan is Taiwan, not a part of China.”
These democratization efforts irritated China, which in 1996 responded by conducting missile “tests” targeting Taiwan, during which he oversaw preparatory work for the nation’s first presidential election, Lee wrote, adding that as president, he could not afford to be terrorized by China and had to remain composed.
China has adjusted its “united front” tactics by helping gangs mobilize in Taiwan to instigate conflicts around national identity and spark social unrest, Lee wrote.
Meanwhile, China has been applying political pressure through economic means by seducing Taiwanese businesspeople with welfare packages, which has harmed the nation’s economic competitiveness, he wrote.
“When people enjoy political freedom, but lack the right to economic self-determination, Taiwanese democracy will be eclipsed by a dark shadow,” he wrote.
“Taiwan has achieved de facto independence. Not only is the theological debate over whether Taiwan is independent pointless, it will tear people apart and intensify conflicts,” Lee wrote. “This will stagnate political progress and incur immeasurable losses for the people.”
“A head of state that condones or aggravates conflicts between pro-independence and pro-unification supporters is extremely irresponsible, as it is against the interests of a democratic nation,” Lee said.
He called on the nation’s leader to initiate a “second democratic reform” pushing for constitutional changes to “normalize” Taiwan as a nation — not to consolidate the nation’s de facto independence.
Efforts should be made to amend the Constitution to allow the legislature and local councils to function more normally, he wrote.
It should be carried out to ensure fairness in the judiciary, boost the efficacy of efforts to restructure central government agencies and expand the jurisdiction of local governments, he wrote.
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