Taiwan: 'Plebiscite' A Great Confusion

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Taiwan: 'Plebiscite' A Great Confusion

Taiwan was wrapped in cold spells at the juncture of autumn and winter with chills going along with daily life of the people. In the meantime the election of once every four years for the leaders of the Taiwan region was also formally entering the "electoral period". A serious political fever was sweeping over the treasure-island and going to be a focus of public talks.

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Ice frozen to three feet deep, topic on election brewing out a political fever

When the reporter began his one-month reporting work in Taiwan it was just on the eve when the "Legislative Yuan" was about to get passed the so-called "Bill of Public Opinion Poll". However as the Kuomintang and the People First Party which had always been against the "public poll for legislation" changed their attitudes at the middle way and decided to follow dancing on the rhythm of the Democratic Progressive Party in advocating the "public poll". And so the legislation by way of "public poll" was no longer the question of whether to do any legislation but what kind of law was going to be legislated. In order to get the lion's share of their own calculation the two big camps were locked in a fight in both overt and covert ways. One could see their bigshots run foul at each other, one wave surging higher than the other, which pushed ahead by the media it was able to feel the heating wave of the "public poll" coming upon one's face.

In last June when the combat against the SARS was still going on Chen Shui Bian struck up again his old tune of "public poll", stating to solve the long-argued problem as to whether the 4th atomic power-station would continue to be built in Taiwan and to solve the question whether Taiwan would join the WHO and so on. The meaning of the Drunkard Chen Shui Bian was not only aiming at the number of votes, but also at boosting the illusory "Independence of Taiwan" he always advocated. Therefore, he at once sowed the feverish seeds of "public poll" which began to burn all along, sneaking from the opinion to the action stage - putting forward the "public poll" bill, making ready for the legislation.

As the words and deeds put forward under the disguise of democracy they finally forced the Kuomintang and the People First Party which had always been against the "public poll" to retreat and turn around overnight. Stating that in exception of adhering still to that the "government" had no right to launch the public poll all other subjects including the "national emblem, name of the country and change of the territory" had no preset bottom-line in the "public poll".

In this way the politicians in Taiwan altered in a turbulent way the electoral topic into a great fever in winter, pushing irresponsibly the Taiwan onto the brink of peril.

Treacherously, the legislation war setting everyone's heart in throat

November 27 saw the time and again postponed legislation through "public poll" finally brought onto the stage. In cold wind and rain, the green camp group roused a big demonstration of thousands of people in front of the "Legislative Yuan", imposing pressures on the "Legislative Yuan". Inside the "Legislative Yuan", the two big camps reached an agreement superficially to let the "public poll" to pass but as to which version was going to be passed every party had a deceitful calculation of its own. Submitted to the vote were a total of six versions which include the version of the Kuomintang and the People First Party, the version of the DPP, that of the "Legislative Yuan", and the version of Taiwan Solidarity Union as well as that of the legislative committee of the DPP. Relying on the majority in the "Legislative Yuan" the Kuomintang and the People First Party turned their draft proposals lightly into the law and again let the so-called "defensive" clause proposed by the "Executive Yuan" to pass with an irresponsible attitude.

In this way, the DPP as an initiator of something evil at the very beginning has turned itself into an opposer of the law. The two parties of the Kuomintang and the People First Party have become the assistant to the evildoer and further evolved into the creator of the law. The DPP would not say die, lying down. Therefore, as soon as the bill got passed it began to slash at it whereas the two parties of the Kuomintang and the People First Party were greatly elated as though they were eventually the mother of a new-born child whom they didn't want to have at the very beginning. They started to protect it feeling glorified. This has made the feverish "public poll" to continue and proliferate.

Using this as a capital for the election the authority of the DPP decided to make a comeback on the strategic front since lost on the tactical front. While launching attacks in public opinions it resorting to the convenience of the party in office proposed to make reconsideration on the article and clause with which it felt dissatisfied. It requested to make a revision on Article V including the right of motion for the "National Assembly" and the establishment of a consideration committee and so on, the "reconsideration" being the first tactics. December 19 staged another war of voting and the fortunate result went again to the two parties of the Kuomintang and the People First Party, vetoing the "reconsideration" proposal put forward by the "Executive Yuan" and the topic of "public poll" became again a high fever.

Delirious ravings, to go at "public poll" whether or not to have daddy and mummy

If we say the "public poll" legislation was carried out in a somewhat controllable way the contents as to the 'public poll" have gone further into a delirium. The second day when the draft proposal of the two parties of the Kuomintang and the People First Party got passed Lien Chan, President of the Kuomintang was greatly elated. He put forward five proposals for "public poll" all at once, including the reconciliation of ethnic colonies, liabilities left to descendants, educational reform, double rise of healthcare fees and the direct sea-transportation through the free-trade port of Kaohsiung.

On the side of the DPP, it stormed criticism at the just-passed "bill of public poll", stating that it would launch another "public poll" on the "bill of public poll". Later it again put forward for "public poll" on the subject for discussion about the "Ninth Congress". This included many such things as "public poll" on the "bill of public poll", wiping out black money, clearance of the Party's property, reform of "National Assembly" and continuous operation of the health insurance and so on. As somebody says by playing with words, it seems that the "public poll" is a must whether or not to have his daddy and mummy. Who would oppose to enjoy the reconciliation and harmonization of ethnic colonies and wiping out the black money?

The so-called "defensive public poll" put forward by Chen Shui Bian is something more delirious out from delirium. When the DPP was reduced to an inferior position in the strives within the "Legislative Yuan" Chen Shui bian clutched at once the clause of "defensive public poll", a life-saving straw, declaring that he would use the power endowed upon him by the "bill of public poll" to stage a "defensive public poll" on the same day of the "election" next year. Putting all eggs in one basket Chen Shui Bian was submerged in denunciations. The Chinese motherland raised serious warnings and the US expressed its opposition. Almost half of the inhabitants in Taiwan considered it to be a trick for the election while only one third of the inhabitants expressed their support for it. All these haven't put any check on Chen's going further and continued to carry it on willfully. He's really going too far along the road of peril.

By People' Daily Online

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