Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Shu Chin-chiang (
He urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) not to surrender its dignity just for the sake of political cooperation.
In an special interview with the Taipei Times, Shu said that KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) has not forsaken the "one-party state" mindset and still viewed the country as the KMT's property, as the KMT had done for more than half a decade.
"Lien kidnapped Chiang in terms of the vice premier's post offered by Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), not allowing Chiang to take the job. This just exposed Lien's conservative and feudal thinking," Shu said.
He urged Hsieh and the DPP not to compromise with the KMT or sacrifice Taiwan's core values and basic viewpoints.
Shu also criticized Hsieh for saying that "the Executive Yuan will not force itself to push forward changing the country's official name." He said the comment was no more than political fawning over the pan-blue camp and high-ranking KMT members.
"Hsieh's words have hurt many Taiwanese people's hearts," Shu said.
He said he had received numerous calls from people in the south who complained that Hsieh had already turned a deaf ear to their voices even though the premier had only left Kaohsiung a few days before.
"Why didn't Hsieh paraphrase his idea by saying that he will promote the movement to change the country's name in a more democratic way? Why did he say that the Cabinet will not forcefully `push' the movement?" Shu said.
The TSU chief said it was former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) who suggested President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) try to facilitate cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties. He said the TSU had taken a positive stance on the issue.
"I think it is all right or perhaps necessary for the government to show its sincerity to the opposition with a compromising attitude. It is unacceptable, however, to retreat from its bottom line," Shu said.
"The ruling party can't give up its dignity and kneel down to beg for cooperation," he said.
Shu said the KMT's conditions for permitting Chiang to join the Cabinet were "ridiculous" and "presumptuous."
"The KMT became conceited because it won the legislative speaker election with its legislative majority. It thinks that it still holds the reins of power," Shu said. "Such an arrogant attitude will make it fail again."
The KMT proposed several topics for discussion with Hsieh on a party-to-party basis, including Taiwan's national status.
"The feedback on Hsieh's compromising remarks was only KMT arrogance," Shu said.
"The so-called conditions totally deviate from public opinion and ignore the people's interest and the country's development. The TSU will fight the KMT on these issues," he said.
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