EDITORIAL
Taiwan News
2010-06-29
The responses by official spokesmen for President Ma Ying-jeou and the ruling rightist Chinese Nationalist Party to the open opposition of former president Lee Teng-hui to the controversial “Cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement” with the authoritarian People’s Republic of China manifested the greatest problem in the promotion of this policy by the Ma government, namely a fundamental lack of democratic accountability or honesty.
On the eve of the signing of the pact by “semi-official” representatives of both sides in Chongqing today, the prestige of Ma’s KMT government suffered a blow when 87-year old former president and ex-KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui openly participated Saturday in a protest march and rally organized in Taipei by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan Solidarity Union opposing the ECFA as leading to a “one China market” and demanding that “the people should decide” on the pact through national citizen referendum.
Given his achievement in overseeing Taiwan’s transition to democracy during his 12 years in office, Lee was long Taiwan’s most prominent economist and the mentor of both Vice President Vincent Siew and Ma himself and his objections can not be lightly dismissed.
Hence, Lee’s harsh public criticism of Ma as carrying out “wrong policies” that are “helping China unify Taiwan” and and his open call on Taiwan voters to “dump Ma to protect Taiwan” cannot be lightly dismissed.
The presidential office reflected its sensitivity Sunday in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang billed as “responding to statements made by former president Lee Teng-hui.”
Unfortunately, Lo’s statement used nearly every rhetorical gimmick possible except a direct engagement and response to the concrete criticisms raised about ECFA by Lee and the Taiwan-centric opposition.
Examples include an “appeal to authority” based on endorsements for ECFA from by various foreign and local business organizations and prominent international economists or management consultants which Lo said showed that “all expressed that signing ECFA will be good for Taiwan and is the road Taiwan must follow.” more …
