The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday accused Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) of treating the Legislative Yuan with disdain and demanded that he apologize or step down for saying that KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) is unfit for her job.
Prior to a question-and-answer session at the legislature on Tuesday, Su was asked by reporters to comment on Chen’s remark on Monday that Taiwan is not a country.
“Then she is not qualified to be a lawmaker,” the premier said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Chen made the remark during a question-and-answer session with Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), when she asked him about his view on the “growing anti-China sentiment” among the public.
“The crux of the matter is that Beijing refuses to acknowledge the ROC [Republic of China] or renounce the use of force to achieve its goal of unification with Taiwan,” the minister said, urging Chen Yu-jen to call on Beijing to acknowledge the ROC’s existence.
“Without a doubt we are a country... However, I must stress that the ROC is a country; Taiwan is not,” the lawmaker said.
The KMT caucus said in a statement that Su should apologize to all legislators or resign, as he has treated the legislature and the Constitution with disdain.
Su should be condemned for exploiting the issue of the nation’s title, touching a raw nerve as the nation strives to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the caucus added.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) asked Su whether he is the premier of the ROC or the “Taiwan Republic.”
The Democratic Progressive Party’s words do not match its actions, as four years after winning a legislative majority and reclaiming the Presidential Office, the party has not pushed for a constitutional amendment to change the nation’s title, Chiang said.
The national identification cards of Kinmen County residents show their place of birth as “Fujian Province,” said Chen Yu-jen, who represents the county, adding that Su continually talks about “Taiwan” as if Kinmen residents were orphans.
“For the DPP, every day is April Fool’s Day, because without officially changing the nation’s title through a constitutional amendment, it is only fooling the public,” she said.
“Su’s remarks struck a chord with many Taiwanese,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday when asked by reporters to comment on the issue.
“The Republic of China, Taiwan” has the broadest consensus among people and hopefully this consensus would continue to grow, she said, adding that the nation has found strength in unity in its fight against the coronavirus, a unity that would hopefully persist.
“Is Taiwan not a country?” Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said. “Taiwan is a sovereign nation whose constitutional title is the ROC. This is the consensus of the majority of the public and how most people identify the nation.”
The Executive Yuan respects KMT legislators’ various viewpoints, but has no comment on calls for the premier to step down, she said.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao and Lee Hsin-fang
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