The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should be wary of making remarks during his inauguration speech that might be deemed damaging to national sovereignty, such as defining Taiwan’s relations with China as “one country, two areas (一國兩區).”
Saying Ma already suffers from a low approval rating even before his inauguration to a second term, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) urged the president to seriously consider whether he should stay on.
Huang made the remarks at a press conference held at Jingfumen (景福門) on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei yesterday morning ahead of Ma’s second inauguration today.
Huang accused Ma of misleading the public, listing what he described as “fraud” committed by the president.
First, Huang said, Ma fabricated the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus,” referring to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s argument that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait agree that there is “one China, with each side having its own interpretation.”
Huang said Ma championed the country’s name — the Republic of China — during his presidential campaign, but that after he was re-elected, he began referring to cross-strait relations as “one country, two areas.”
Huang also accused Ma of breaking his promise to rid the KMT of its ill-gotten assets and to pay back half of his salary if he did not fulfill his “6-3-3” campaign promise.
Ma also exaggerated the benefits of Taiwan signing an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, Huang said.
“Because Ma broke his word again and again, he has a credibility crisis,” Huang said, urging the public to take part in the TSU’s protest today in Taipei to air their anger at Ma.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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