A major coalition to campaign for a Taiwanese independence referendum was formed yesterday in what was the highest-level gathering of pro-independence advocates since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration took office, with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) calling for a new constitution and name for the nation.
The Formosa Alliance (喜樂島聯盟), launched by Formosa TV chairman Kuo Bei-hung (郭倍宏), was joined by Lee, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and former presidential adviser Peng Ming-min (彭明敏), as well as the New Power Party, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the Social Democratic Party and the Taiwan Radical Wings.
At a news conference in Taipei packed with hundreds of independence supporters, alliance representatives announced plans to formally launch on April 7, the anniversary of late democracy activist Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) self-immolation in 1989.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
It said it would campaign for one year for a referendum, which it wants to hold on April 6 next year.
Taiwan’s sovereignty and political legitimacy come from the authorization of its 23 million people via direct elections and have nothing to do with China, Lee said.
“Although the relationship between Taiwan and China is in a very special state, it is undoubtedly a state-to-state relationship,” Lee said.
This special state is due to a misguided national identity shaped by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) within the Republic of China (ROC) framework, he said, adding that it would require name rectification and a new constitution to formalize Taiwan’s statehood.
Lee said he had proposed the “ROC in Taiwan” framework and completed a series of constitutional amendments during his terms as president as a pragmatic approach to rebuild national identity and make progress on the goal of name rectification and promulgating a new constitution.
“With the Sunflower movement [in 2014] and the KMT’s defeats in 2014 and 2016, I think it is time to take action,” Lee said.
Taiwanese must vote in a democratic referendum to decide Taiwan’s future and make the nation a member of the UN under the name “Taiwan,” he added.
The alliance asked the DPP government to again revise the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to allow the referendum.
The latest amendment, which went into effect on Jan. 3, barred referendums on constitutional changes that would involve redefining the nation’s territory or changing its official title.
“President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has influenced many DPP lawmakers to ensure that she and the 113 legislators have a tight grip on the right to decide Taiwan’s future and the nation’s destiny,” the alliance said in a statement. “The alliance believes that [Tsai’s] methods are no different than the belief held by some Chinese that they have the right to decide Taiwan’s future and it also constitutes the severest infringement on 23.5 million Taiwanese’s right to self-determination.”
NOT BUYING IT: One of the goals of Beijing’s Cross-Strait Media People Summit was to draw mainstream media executives to discuss the ‘one country, two systems’ formula Taiwanese news media insist on press freedom and professionalism, and would never become a tool of China’s “united front” campaign, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, responding to media queries about the lack of Taiwanese media executives at the Cross-Strait Media People Summit in Beijing. Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) was reportedly furious that no Taiwanese media representatives attended a scheduled meeting with him on Thursday last week. “Beijing should take Taiwan’s determination to pursue freedom and democracy seriously. We also hope that it will not use vicious means to interfere with Taiwan’s development into a
IMMIGRATION REFORM: The legislative amendments aim to protect the rights of families to reunify, and to attract skilled professionals to stay and work in Taiwan Foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can soon apply for permanent residency on behalf of their spouses and minor or disabled children after the legislature approved amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The amendments, which were proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Executive Yuan on Jan. 12, aim to attract foreign talent to Taiwan and encourage them to stay. They would take effect once they are signed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The amendments involved changing 63 articles, making it the biggest
FIRST STEP: Business groups in Taiwan welcomed the deal, which does not include tariff reductions at this stage, as they called for the elimination of double taxation Taiwan and the US yesterday signed an initial agreement under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade. The agreement was signed yesterday morning by Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Managing Director Ingrid Larson in Washington, the Office of Trade Negotiations in Taipei said. The ceremony was witnessed by Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) and Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi. Taiwan and the US started talks under the initiative in August last year, after Taipei was left out of the Washington-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. “The deal that will be signed tonight is not only very historic,
Beijing yesterday blamed US “provocation” for an incident last week in which a Chinese plane crossed in front of a US surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. The incident came at a time of frayed ties between Washington and Beijing over issues including Taiwan and the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US this year. “The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) said when asked about the latest incident. “This
RSS