Disapproving of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) idea of starting a fresh round of constitutional reform, PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday said a nation should not amend its Constitution so frequently and thoughtlessly, as if it is revising "school rules."
"We should be careful and plan comprehensively when dealing with the question of constitutional reform, rather than making amendments at the spur of the moment," Soong said.
Despite six rounds of constitutional reform over the past decade, the country has not become more stable, but is facing more and more problems, Soong said.
He said the most serious of Taiwan's problems is its economy -- a problem he argued is caused by flaws in government policy, rather than Constitutional flaws.
Citing the example of the US, Soong said that every US president pledges to abide by the Constitution during his term, adding that constitutional reform is never something a US president would put on the top of his agenda.
"[In Taiwan] we have made constitutional reform even easier than revising school rules. It is a very dangerous matter if we are to raise an idea recklessly without going through public discussion to reach a national consensus," Soong said.
Soong made the remarks in response to Chen's recent proposition that constitutional reform could be an issue for discussion in a summit of political leaders.
As to whether he would accept Chen's invitation to the summit, Soong said any meeting should be held with sincerity.
PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
"This is like Chen's watching the hippopotamuses through a telescope in Africa but seeing only their buttocks. We are in a spot now that he is asking all opposition parties to join him to touch the buttocks [of the hippos]," Chang said.
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