Chen Shui-bian has made countless promises since he started campaigning for president in 1999.He has kept very few of them. As his second and last term is coming to an end in a year’s time, the president knows he cannot wish the huge backlog of unkept promises away.So he picked the least costly of them to fulfill in order just to prove that he is a man of his word.He has merely paid the postage needed to send his letter of application to Geneva, requesting the World Health Organization to favorably consider the country’s new bid to join as a full-fledged member under the name of Taiwan.
One word of caution is apt.President Chen should forbid the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health to campaign for Taiwan’s WHO membership.If they do, well, the cost will be just as high as, if not higher than, what Taiwan has spent each year in the past decade.Taiwan’s Medical Association may try to dispatch a large mission to Geneva and capitals of major powers to rally support for this year’s bid, which differs with the previous ones asking for accession as an observer, if its “whistle-stop” tour is not subsidized by the government.
We are not particularly punitive.All such attempts are an uncalled for costly exercise in clumsy futility.
In the past couple of years, the United States and Japan have promised support for Taiwan’s drive to obtain observer status in the Geneva-based world body.Now that President Chen has made clear Taiwan needs full membership, neither country will even try to extend support.Washington has gone on the record by saying it won’t support any bid for full membership in a world organization that requires statehood of a member.The WHO is a United Nations organization where that requirement has to be met.
The whole world knows it’s wrong for the WHO not to let Taiwan in.The fact, however, is that it will gladly welcome Taiwan back if the People’s Republic of China raises no objection.All Taiwan has to do to rejoin the WHO is to reach a modus vivendi with China.Bluntly put, Taipei’s surest way to Geneva is through Beijing.But President Chen refuses to have dialogue between Taipei and Beijing.He prefers an endless beating about the bush to a shortcut.
The latest attempt to knock at the door of the WHO is a starter.President Chen has two more promises to keep.He will try to get the country back to the United Nations as Taiwan, come September. Then he will have to deliver his “second republic” constitution which is “timely,” “apt” and “viable” before he steps down on May 20, 2008.The former will be a dud like the WHO bid.A great schemer, Chen may be able to come up with a fantastic idea – like the two bullets fired in Tainan on March 19, 2004 – to give Taiwan a new constitution.
（本文刊載於96.04.16 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）
