For the Taiwan Independence Party (
"The ROC Constitution was not designed for Taiwan people. It was drawn up jointly by the Nationalists and the Communists in 1946 in China," said TAIP chairman and presidential candidate Cheng Pang-chen (
"This Constitution does not suit the Taiwan people. Although the ruling KMT has amended the Constitution several times in recent years, these amendments were made in an unsuitable context," Cheng said.
"If Taiwan cannot make a new Constitution based on its own needs and declare in it that Taiwan is a sovereign state independent from Chinese rule, it cannot escape the fate of being devoured by China eventually."
If no action is taken in that direction by 2005, Cheng warned, China will take advantage of its military superiority over Taiwan to invade under the pretense of handling of "domestic disputes."
"The only way to counter military threats from China and fight off its aggressive intentions is to declare clearly to the international community that Taiwan and China are two different countries. That will make China understand that a military attack on Taiwan would amount to an invasion of another country, which would likely attract international intervention," Cheng said.
If the ROC Constitution continues to exist, Cheng said, it will put Taiwan at risk of an invasion from China in the name of waging a civil war or handling domestic disputes.
The current Constitution does not make a clear distinction between the territories of Taiwan and China, nor between the people living on both sides of the Strait. This will add to the impression that Taiwan will continue to be considered by most foreign countries as a renegade province of China, Cheng said.
If necessary, Cheng said, Taiwan will not insist on its territorial claim to offshore Kinmen and Matsu Islands, which sit off the coast of China's Fujian province.
"My idea for a new Constitution is to limit the territory of Taiwan to the island proper and Penghu islands. Historically, Kinmen and Matsu are not affiliated with Taiwan. They are now linked to Taiwan because they were forced into ROC territory by the Chiang Kai-shek-led government 50 years ago," Cheng said.
"But we will not abandon the people on Kinmen and Matsu. We will give them the option to choose whether they wish to be Tai-wanese or Chinese. If they choose to be Chinese, their claim to the property or land which they have earned in Taiwan proper will be respected and handled according to regulations," he said.
Cheng's remarks are reminiscent of a demilitarization plan for Kinmen and Matsu, which lawmaker Shih Ming-teh (
Shih's demilitarization proposal was meant to be a peace token to China but turned out to spark much criticism and debate within Taiwan. Shih reaffirmed in recent months at the Legislature that he still supported the demilitarization plan after a lapse of five years.
The Kinmen islands have been rapidly demilitarized in recent years, as the number of troops stationed there has dropped from over 50,000 to around 16,000 at present.
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