When Taiwanese voters elected their president in direct elections for the first time on March 23, 1996, Taiwan in practice became an independent and sovereign democracy. It reinforced the fact that the country is completely different from the one-party state of China.
Regrettably, China maintains that Taiwan belongs to it and constantly threatens the nation. Since coming into power, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has echoed Beijing’s “one China” principle and made every effort to push free and democratic Taiwan toward authoritarian China. If Taiwan one day loses its sovereignty, freedom and democracy, all Taiwanese, regardless of ethnicity or political stripe, will be helpless.
Ma may have been elected by a majority of voters in the 2008 presidential election, but he is still subject to public oversight. He is not some dictator who can do whatever he feels like. Taiwanese elected Ma mainly because they wanted him to boost the economy, while maintaining Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation.
Instead, he is laying the groundwork for the Chinese annexation of Taiwan. He is selling out and betraying Taiwan. He has already accelerated the outsourcing of Taiwanese factories and capital to China. If Taiwan signs an economic cooperation framework agreement with China, he will further denigrate the nation and turn it into another Hong Kong. His failed “6-3-3” campaign promises — 6 percent annual growth, an average per capita income of US$30,000 and an unemployment rate under 3 percent — are a complete failure. He is Taiwan’s Public Enemy No. 1.
China remains tightly in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Oppressed by authoritarian rule, Chinese lack basic rights such as the freedoms of expression, assembly and association, and the right to political participation. Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), for example, disappeared for more than half a year soon after the release of Charter 08. He was eventually sentenced to 11 years in prison. The CCP regime is illegitimate. It has no right to rule China, let alone Taiwan.
In past negotiations with the CCP, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was always tricked by the weaker CCP. Now, with a strong CCP, Ma wants to sign an agreement with it. He is either naive or deceitful. By leaning toward the CCP, he will also become China’s Public Enemy No. 1 by prolonging the slavery of its people under the CCP. Ma must stop acting as the public enemy of both Taiwan and China.
Li Teng-hsin is a member of the Northern Taiwan Society.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
Source: Taipei Times - Editorials 2010/05/17
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