Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday threw his weight behind Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), ending months of speculation on whom he would endorse.
"Having observed the two candidates over the months ... I have decided to give my vote to Mr Frank Hsieh," Lee told a news conference. "As for what the election result will be, I respect the choice of the Taiwanese people."
He said two factors had informed his decision: the need for checks and balances within a democracy, and the qualifications required of a national leader.
The legislature had been behaving like "a horse running out of control" since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won an absolute majority in January's elections, Lee said, adding that the situation would worsen if the KMT won the presidential election.
"Without checks and balances, Taiwan's democracy will regress, leading to frustration and disaster. It's really a great concern," Lee said.
Lee listed five qualifications required of a national leader: firm, consistent adherence to core values; devout religious beliefs; honesty and an open-minded world view; and love for one's country.
"Of the five, the most important is love for one's country," Lee said.
A devout Christian, Lee said he always prayed to God for advice. When he prayed with his wife yesterday morning, Lee said God told them to read "The Parable of the Two Sons" in the Book of Matthew Chapter 21, from Verse 28.
Lee said it was important to vote for the candidate who best suited Taiwan -- someone who could help the country reach out to the world.
Later yesterday, Hsieh thanked Lee for his support and said he shared the former president's concerns.
"I know he has great expectations for the nation's leader," Hsieh said. "I appreciate his support and I promise to do my best if elected."
He said voters who care about the checks and balances and the country's hard-earned democracy would make the same decision as Lee.
"We cannot afford to see see our democracy unbalanced and the system of checks and balances destroyed overnight," Hsieh said.
If KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is elected president, Hsieh said, no one could restrain the legislature -- in which the KMT holds a comfortable three-quarters majority.
The public cannot depend on the goodwill of KMT legislators and it would be impractical to expect the legislators to restrain themselves, he said.
Hsieh spokesman Chao Tien-lin (
When asked to comment yesterday, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
Honorary Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), meanwhile, endorsed Hsieh in an interview with Formosa TV broadcast on Wednesday night.
Lee said he was concerned by Ma's "lack of insistence" on universal values and that Ma often vacillates on policy and issues.
Yesterday, seven members of the Academia Sinica wrote an open letter to the public, urging them to preserve the checks and balances in Taiwan's democracy by supporting Hsieh.
They also urged the public to support the two referendums on UN membership and resist the threat posed by China.
The DPP has proposed joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT has suggested "rejoining" the world body using the country's official name -- the Republic of China (ROC) -- or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and Mo Yan-chih
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS