The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to abandon the policy of maintaining the “status quo” and begin promoting the nation’s status under the name “Taiwan” after the loss of diplomatic ally El Salvador.
The party condemned China for its “malicious attempt” to suppress Taiwan and blamed it for “undermining the regional security and peace of East Asia” by manipulating other nations into isolating Taiwan.
By carrying out military drills around Taiwan, preventing the nation from holding the East Asian Youth Games and luring El Salvador to switch allegiance, China has proved that “there will be no end to its oppression and that no friendly gestures or promises from Beijing can be counted on,” it said in a statement.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration should abandon its foreign policy of maintaining the “status quo” and begin promoting the nation as “Taiwan” to differentiate itself from China, it said.
Moreover, it should work to normalize Taiwan as a nation by reforming the Constitution and supporting referendums to rename the nation, it said.
The NPP called on other parties to join it in promoting legislation to “normalize the nation,” including amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), which would enable people to vote on issues, such as the national territory, national flag and national name.
“We believe the only way to safeguard our democracy and freedom, as well as Taiwan’s dignity, is to normalize the nation by rectifying our name to Taiwan and turning cross-strait relations into international relations through the power of the people,” it said.
Taiwanese do not fear and will not succumb to oppression, but rather will grow stronger in their convictions to prove Taiwan’s independence, it said.
“China’s oppressive tactics and continued attempts to bribe Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have infuriated all of us,” NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said in a Facebook post.
Tsai must readjust her policy of maintaining the “status quo” because the “status quo” has already been destroyed by China, he said.
“There is no need and makes no sense to continue to abide by this self-restricting policy,” he said.
Source: Taipei Time - 2018/08/22
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