With a reconciliatory atmosphere slowly emerging in some political circles, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday suggested that the DPP revise or even remove support for Tai-wanese independence, though senior DPP members quickly opposed the idea.
DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) yesterday proposed that the DPP adjust the "Taiwan independence clause in the party program and make it consistent with the content of the Resolution on Taiwan's Future," or remove it altogether.
The Taiwan independence clause was passed by the DPP in 1991. It said that Taiwan had to establish its own state and enact a new constitution based on the reality that Taiwan enjoyed independent sovereignty. It did not recognize the present Constitution enacted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government in 1947.
To ease public concerns about its stance on independence, the DPP then issued the "Resolution on Taiwan's Future" in 1999, which said Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, the name of which is the "Republic of China." Taiwan was also said to be neither a province nor a special administrative region of China.
"If the DPP and the People First Party (PFP) are going to cooperate with each other in all seriousness, both sides have to deal with the most sensitive and the most pivotal parts of their basic stance," Lee said.
He said that coalition governments have existed in Europe for a century, and that if the DPP and PFP cannot find shared ground in terms of policy and political approach, any coalition government formed by the two parties would be fragile.
"It wouldn't last long. Perhaps only three months, or three days," Lee said.
Lee also said he would invite other DPP legislators concerned about the matter and its impact on cross-strait affairs to hold a forum after elections for DPP chairman at the end of month.
Responding to Lee's suggestion, DPP caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (
"Lee's suggestion does not make sense because the Taiwan independence clause was replaced by the `Resolution on Taiwan's Future' in 1999," Tsai said. "There is no issue of removing clauses here.
"I don't think the PFP would work with us just because we removed the Taiwan independence clause. The key for cooperation between the two parties doesn't lie in this clause," he added.
DPP Legislator Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) agreed, saying that the clause was now "a historical document" and that the Resolution on Taiwan's Future represented the party line.
Meanwhile, PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) yesterday said that the PFP would not comment on Lee's remarks, saying that they were the opinions of a single lawmaker, though the PFP would observe developments.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS