Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) took election seriousness to new heights yesterday, threatening to commit suicide if the public does not make a wise choice.
"The Dec. 1 elections will be a very critical battle for Taiwan's development for the next 20 years. If the public does not make a correct choice, I will commit suicide," he said while campaigning for TSU candidates Lin Jen-teh (
Lee also said that his comparing the KMT to an alien power was based on a solid historic perspective.
"The definition of an alien regime is when the politicians in power do not allow local residents to be involved in politics.
"They lack real feelings toward the land they live on and just consider the land a temporary settlement," Lee said while accepting an award from the Taiwanese-American Foundation (台美基金會).
The foundation gave the former president an "award for special contributions."
Lee said that Taiwan's history shows that the region has never been ruled by the local population. From the Ming and Qing dynasties to "when the KMT arrived in 1949, they continued to forbid Taiwanese from involvement in political activities.
"[The KMT] had a mindset of a tourist; they did not recognize Taiwan. This explains why I described the KMT as an alien regime," Lee said.
The former president noted the country's localization did not occur until 1996 when the first presidential election was held.
But he said social stability in the country has not improved, adding "many people" still do not recognize Taiwan, even after living here for 50 years.
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