Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (
However, Lai Ching-te (
Ma, together with 13 pan-blue local government chiefs, held an international press conference and issued a joint statement protesting the law, which Beijing claims provides a legal basis for China to use "non-peaceful means" if Taiwan moves toward formal independence. The law was passed on March 14.
While Ma expressed his regret about the law in the joint statement he initiated, he was notably absent from a rally organized by the DPP to protest the law under the theme "326 March for Peace and Democracy." Ma also claimed the turnout for the march was lower than estimated by its organizers, a fact which some political observers used to question his position on this issue.
Most pan-green politicians ascribed Ma's downplaying of the march's turnout to his desire to lessen the significance of the event, which international media outlets largely interpreted as a symbol of Taiwan's will to determine its own future in the face of China's military threats to annex Taiwan. But Wu praised Ma in a way seldom seen by the pan-green camp.
The news statement released by the MAC said, "Chairman Ma once served as MAC's vice chairman before, and is very familiar with Chinese affairs. Ma also understands China's strategies to suppress Taiwan and divide Taiwanese people very well. MAC Chairman Wu especially admires Ma as he sided with the Taiwanese people in March, when China passed the Anti-Secession Law despite Taiwan's opposition to the law."
Wu also said in the statement that he wished the KMT, led by Ma, would cooperate with the government to defend the interests of the Taiwanese people.
"China's reluctance to contact Taiwan's government makes it an even more important issue for the ruling and opposition parties to cooperate with each other and reach a consensus while confronting China. I hope Chairman Ma can enhance his communication with the government and team up with it," Wu said.
Wu's statement came as a surprise to DPP legislators, with Lai saying "the DPP caucus respects Wu's right to express his `personal opinion,' but [we] don't think Ma is on the same wavelength as the Taiwanese people who stood up to China's Anti-Secession Law in the `326 March.'"
"Not only did Ma not stand together with the 1 million Taiwanese who participated in the 326 protest against the [Chinese] law, Ma also concealed the actual turnout. Taking the initiative and announcing the number of participants was quite an unusual phenomenon, as Ma never did this before and the turnout he declared, 270,000, was an underestimation," Lai said, adding that "these truths prove that Ma wasn't against the law as firmly as the Taiwanese people."
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