President Chen Shui-bian is taking no chances. He won’t spare the rod and spoil the child. So the lash is being applied to whip Frank Hsieh into line.
The president wanted his premier Su Tseng-chang to bear the Democratic Progressive Party’s standard in March next year. But Frank Hsieh, a former mayor of Kaohsiung who had served as premier for a year until February 2006, decisively defeated Su in the party primaries. Hsieh wants better relations between Taiwan and China, and that’s an anathema to Chen. In the run-up to the primaries, Hsieh moderated his stand enough to get anointed, but the president is afraid of a relapse.
That’s why President Chen got DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun to draft a “normal country” resolution, which will be adopted as a party platform for 2008 at the end of next month. The resolution will proclaim Taiwan as a normal country or an independent, sovereign state in every sense of that word. Hsieh is bound to carry out this party form, if he were elected, and will be regarded in Beijing as pursuing independence of Taiwan. China passed an anti-session law in March last year, codifying an invasion of Taiwan when independence is declared.
Independence for Taiwan has always been the goal of the Democratic Progressive Party. The party included a “Taiwan Independence Clause” in its charter in 1991, declaring it would found an independent, sovereignty state. In 1999, in the lead-up to the presidential election of 2000, a “resolution on the future of Taiwan” was adopted as the party platform. The resolution, made part of the charter, states Taiwan is already an independent, sovereign state whose name is the Republic of China. This moderated version, which suggests no declaration of independence is necessary, helped Chen Shui-bian get elected president.
The 1999 resolution is expected to be superseded by the one which is being drafted, although President Chen they may coexist. So the ruling party is getting back to Square One, albeit there is a change in the title. It doesn’t want to use “independence.” “Normal country” is taking its place. Now matter how it will be worded, the new resolution is going to be a restatement of President Chen’s “Four Wants/One Without” declaration. He declared earlier this year Taiwan wants “independence,” wants “rectification of names,” wants “a new constitution,” and wants “economic development” but does “without” a right-or-left issue. The only issue facing Taiwan is over independence or unification with China, according to the president. “Rectification of names” means the country must be called Taiwan, and in fact, Chen has already had a “second republic” constitution written up. He wants to make this “timely,” “apt” and “viable” constitution go into force before he steps down on May 20 next year.
Frank Hsieh has to cut down to size to fit President Chen’s Taiwan independence dogma.
（本文刊載於96.05.14 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）