Tue, Oct 31, 2006 page3

• Chen optimistic over constitutional reform

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  Constitutional reform is expected to gain momentum next year and the best timing to push for the constitutional re-engineering project is after the year-end mayoral elections, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) predicted yesterday.

  "It is not wishful thinking to push for a new constitution for Taiwan," Chen told a video conference held by Japan's Waseda University yesterday morning. Chen exchanged views on various issues with Japanese parliamentarians, scholars and reporters at the meeting.

  "Taiwan desperately needs a Constitution that is timely, relevant and viable because the current Constitution is not," Chen said.

  Chen stressed that any constitutional re-engineering project must conform to the due procedure of reform and obtain the final approval of the 23 million people of Taiwan.

  To secure the consent of three quarters of the legislature seems a mission impossible, he said, but the last constitutional amendments, originally deemed impossible by many, eventually passed in June last year.

  "Nothing is impossible," he said. "We accomplished a mission impossible last year. Why shouldn't we do it again?"

  As there are several proposals for constitutional amendments or a brand new constitution, Chen said that he believed a consensus would gradually be formed, especially on the governmental system which is the most serious and urgent matter.

  The best time to push for constitutional re-engineering, Chen said, would be after the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections and constitutional reform is expected to progress next year.

  "As long as it becomes a trend and people's desire for constitutional reform becomes stronger, all political parties and figures must yield to the public will," he said.

  Chen said that Taiwan had transformed itself from authoritarianism to a democracy and that the country would never go back to dictatorship.

  Over the past six years, the nation has made impressive progress in freedom, democracy, human rights and peace. Although local media enjoy 100 percent freedom, Chen said that he is sorry to see that recent polls have revealed public trust in media coverage stands at an embarrassing 1 percent.

  Chen said that his administration would not crackdown on the media despite their poor standing because press freedom was part of the core values of a democratic state.

  The administration respected and tolerated different opinions but it would never compromise on safeguarding a Taiwan-centered identity, he said.

  "Taiwan, as an independent sovereignty, is not part of China nor one of its administrative districts," he said. "China has the so-called `one China' principle. The US and Japan have `one China' policies. But we cannot accept the `one China' theory. Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. Taiwan and China are two different countries." Chen said that it was a serious matter that opposition leaders visited Beijing because it was part of Beijing's "united-front" tactic.

  As Beijing does not recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereignty, Chen said that it does whatever it can to belittle, marginalize and regionalize it. Opposition parties, however, still opt to cooperate with China.

  Chen said that Beijing would eventually abandon Taiwanese opposition leaders when it could find no more use for them.

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