Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) could avoid any reoccurrence of the recent Associated Press (AP) controversy by making clear he does not support unification with China
Lu said Ma had created an image that he not only favored unification, but also wanted to achieve that goal as quickly as possible, making media outlets keen to ask him to explain his position.
“Perhaps the public would have felt more at ease if he told them clearly that he is not in favor of unification,” Lu said in response to questions about the AP controversy.
The news agency ran a story on its interview with Ma on Tuesday stating that he suggested political talks could start as early as his second four-year term if he wins re-election in 2012.
Late on Tuesday night, Ma called an impromptu press conference to say that he had been misquoted and asked the Government Information Office (GIO) to demand a correction.
The GIO sent a letter to the international editor of the news agency demanding an investigation into “the causes of the distortions” in the interview piece.
The GIO later released Chinese and English transcriptions of the interview after the president’s demands were not met.
Lu said she thought Ma’s political stance was the main reason for AP reporters to want to try and get to the bottom of the matter, she said.
Ma should learn that cross-strait affairs is a sensitive issue and as the head of state, he must be more precise with what he says, Lu added.
When asked whether Ma should answer in English when giving interviews to foreign media outlets, Lu said Ma probably thought his English was better than that of his interpreter, so he preferred to answer for himself.
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