Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee yesterday raised his questions about Hsieh's proposal in a lecture to students at the Lee Teng-hui School.
Lee told students that a successful national leader always sets clear and feasible goals for the country and that the administration plays an important role in carrying out those goals so the country can move forward and progress.
Taking Hsieh's declaration on the Olympics as an example, Lee said that targeting the 2020 Olympic Games without first conducting a feasibility study would render the idea a pipe dream.
"If the government really means it, then it has to make thorough plans, and not just casual remarks. Otherwise, its words will be empty," Lee said.
Lee pointed out that he had thought about trying to host the Olympics and world fairs in Taiwan when he was president. But when it came to trying to implement such ideas, the government often encountered resistance from those who pointed out that Taiwan is not a UN member.
"In fact, the biggest obstacle for Taiwan's future is that Taiwan is not a `normal' country, because Taiwan still uses an obsolete official name and Constitution, which prevents Taiwan from entering the United Nations," Lee said.
"If the political problem cannot be solved, the confusion about Taiwan's national identification will impact the solidarity of the Taiwanese people," Lee said, adding that such confusion would also make it hard to tackle economic problems.
Reacting to Lee's criticism yesterday, Hsieh said that Taiwan should believe in itself and make early preparations for when its dream is realized, stressing that opportunities often come to those who are well-prepared.
"Although applying to host the Olympics is a tremendously difficult task, I believe that Taiwan is capable of taking on such a challenge as long as we hold fast to our dream and prepare for it beginning now," Hsieh said, pointing out that Taiwan has enough time to meet all the requirements for hosting the games in 2020.
"No one expected that Kao-hsiung City could win the bid to host the 2009 World Games when we applied for it at that time, but we did it," Hsieh said. "If the jury for the Olympic Games in 2013 is from European countries that are more friendly to Taiwan, I believe that our chances are good."
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