XDPP NEW CHAIRMAN
 TAKES Feb 2006
HELM ……….....….….1

XNUC IS A GHOST OF THE

PAST....……………....4

XMR. MA, WHERE DOST
THOU HEART
LIE ?..........................3

XFORMER DICTATORSHIP

democracy
 RESPONSIBLE FOR 228

&
 INCIDENT, NOT AN
ETHNIC GROUP............3

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE

INTERNATIONAL DEPT. OF THE DPP TAIWAN
progress

DPP new chairman takes the helm

Chairman Yu Shyi-kun
Inauguration Speech
January 26, 2006
A Responsibility to Take, Striving for a Start

The DPP is getting close to its 20th anniversary, and looking back, I remember joining fellow brave people in fighting for
democracy, pursuing justice and implementing reform. In taking the reigns of government, we ensured a Taiwanese identity and
persevered in deepening democracy. Because everyone cherishes this land and kept fighting for these values, they allowed the DPP to
grow.
After 14 years of arduous work, the people trusted the DPP to take over the government, but we have not been able to produce
satisfactory results for the people.
In reality, defeat is not disgraceful. The real shame comes when we don’t learn from our mistakes. Nevertheless, even at the
current low tide, the DPP still carries a spirit of reflection and the stamina needed to find a way out of this difficult period. Today, we
are setting off once again and turning over a new page in our history. I promise to give my utmost to the party, not for personal benefit,
but to take responsibility and to strive for a start. Continued on next page
2 DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

Chairman Yu Shyi-kun Inauguration Speech, continued from page 1

DEMOCRACY & We must understand the expectations of the people. As the ruling party with
PROGRESS the largest number of seats in the Legislative Yuan, we must find a way to stick to our
International Department party’s principles yet also move forward with practical government policies. We are
Democratic Progressive Party
determined to win elections, but by winning, I don’t mean to win in order to survive.
8F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan The party must win because we are giving people a better life.
t. 886-2-23929989 ext. 305
f. 886-2-23214527 Honesty, Reform, Unity
e-mail: foreign@dpp.org.tw
web: http://www.dpp.org.tw In the next legislative and presidential elections, the battle will consist of
“sovereignty and independence” versus “embracing China”. If the DPP persists in
Director, International fighting for social justice, equality and the right of the 23 million people to determine
Department: Bi-khim Hsiao
our own future, the DPP has nothing to lose. We must exert greater effort and be even
Deputy Director: more humble as we work toward our goals.
Huai-hui Hsieh
Firstly, we must have honesty in our party. All our party members must be
Editor-in-Chief: held to the highest moral standards. Our party officials with positions in government
Michael Fonte must put their private assets into trust, including officials in the Legislative Yuan, who
must use the Sunshine Laws as their guideline. We must not, regardless whether we win
Editor:
or loose an election, succumb to the temptation of accepting black gold and forgetting
Ping-Ya Hsu
our party spirit.

Secondly, we must be considered a party of reform. The DPP must carry a

spirit of innovation as the governing party, employ higher values to implement policies
and continue listening to opinions from all walks to life. The DPP must also activate
party organization in order to import the power of the people into the party. In addition,
the party must attract talented young people and infuse the vitality of our new society
into the party.

Thirdly, we must be viewed as a party of unity. We must abandon the idea of

personal heroism and terminate all malicious competition among party factions. All
staff from party headquarters and local branches must firmly remain neutral and
withdraw from factional participation. Party officials in government and in the
Legislative Yuan must create policy together by progressing at the pace of governing
effectively – debating policy first, not implementing policy first and debating later.

Upholding Honesty, Reform and Unity, we will be stronger against the

opposition. An overwhelming majority of people in the DPP have never abandoned
their ideals, and our future challenge lies in how to find an effective way to implement
our ideology. From today onwards, the party will lead everyone in meeting
expectations, persisting in our basic ideals and integrating mainstream opinion into our
party’s policies.
3 DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

Former dictatorship responsible for 228 Incident, not an ethnic group

Chairman Yu Shyi-kun noted that the recently published book, Responsibility of the 228 Incident, makes it clear that the
former dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek was responsible for the 228 massacre and that this massacre should not be viewed as
an ethnic issue. No ethnic group in Taiwan should bear the guilt for what occurred in the 228 Incident. The reason for a
commemoration of this historical event is, “An end to hatred and a beginning for unity,” said Yu.

Responsibility of the 228 Incident says that former president Chiang Kai-shek was the main architect of the crime, while
the governor general, Chen Yi, was the main overseer of the crackdown. Other military personnel, Ker Yuan-fen, Peng Meng-
chi and Lian Cheng-tong, former KMT chairman Lian Chan’s father, stood by Chen Yi in suppressing the voice of the
opposition, not standing by the people of Taiwan to pursue their own democratic freedom.

“No ethnic group in Taiwan should be held responsible for the 228 Incident,” Chairman Yu said. “The 228 Incident was
a result of suppression by the KMT government, not a point of contention between ethnic groups. During that time, the
decision was made between the governmental authorities in Nanking and the military generals in Taiwan. Therefore, no
Mainlander should be blamed for the past, especially when some Mainlanders came after the incident occurred.”

Mr. Ma, Where Dost Thou Heart Lie?

Mayor Ma Ying-jeou has been giving public statements on the cross strait issue, but with no clear stance on where his viewpoint
lies.

On December 26 of last year, in an interview with Newsweek, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou said that unification is
the KMT’s ultimate goal. After this statement was made, Wang Zaixi, vice chairman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, was full of praise for Ma Ying-jeou.

“For Ma Ying-jeou to ascertain in public that unification is the KMT’s ultimate goal is indeed an action that is not easy
to make,” Wang said on January 12, 2006.

Two months later, Ma Ying-jeou changed his public stance. Before departing for Europe, Ma Ying-jeou said in an
interview with BBC that Taiwan’s future should be determined by its own people.

Once again, in the editorial page of the Asian Wall Street Journal, Ma Ying-jeou shifted, writing, “The KMT now
believes that neither unification nor independence is likely for Taiwan in the foreseeable future and that the status quo should be
maintained.”

From “unification as the ultimate goal” to “Taiwan’s future should be determined by its own people” to “maintaining
the status quo”, Mayor Ma is full of inconsistencies. These public statements, surprisingly made only to international media,
have scholars and analysts confused all over the world, meanwhile stirring a heated debate nationwide.

For the DPP, this is no surprise coming from the KMT. It is fairly simple that Mayor Ma Ying-jeou is playing with
public sentiment, domestically and abroad.

In the Asian Wall Street Journal editorial piece, Mayor Ma also wrong, “In a similar spirit of pragmatism, Taiwan
while it seeks to defuse tension across the Taiwan Strait, should also demonstrate its determination to protect itself by
maintaining adequate defensive capabilities.”

If Mayor Ma and the KMT truly believe that Taiwan needs to defend itself, then why has the KMT blocked even
discussion of the arms procurement package in the Legislative Yuan 45 times? And if Mayor Ma truly believes that the future of
Taiwan should be determined by its own people, then he should welcome President Chen’s proposal to abolish the National
Unification Council.

For a long time, Mayor Ma and the KMT have ignored the right to self-determination by the people of Taiwan by opposing a
new constitution and support for a national referendum, and currently, by saying that Taiwan needs the opinion of China as to
whether or not we need to abolish the National Unification Council.

Everyone is curious to know where to the emotions of Mayor Ma lie, with China or with the people of Taiwan?
4 DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

National Unification Council is a Ghost of the Past

The National Unification Council (NUC) is a ghost of the past autocratic regime, a ghost that prevents Taiwan from
moving forward. Therefore, the DPP believes it is absolutely necessary that the body be abolished.

The DPP also wishes to emphasize that abolishing the NUC does not make any changes in the present status quo in the
Taiwan Strait. From a constitutional point of view, the NUC was not created by a democratic process. The DPP makes an appeal
to the international community to respect the right of the 23 million people of Taiwan to determine their own future.

In regards to criticism concerning “altering the present status quo”, the DPP has the following questions and comments:

1. Who has recently been establishing boundaries in the present status quo?

2. If the status quo has been altered, who has been the one changing them?

3. Should democratization be considered altering the status quo?

4. Are not increasing the number of missiles by China and China’s passage of the so-called Anti-Secession Law not
changing the status quo?

The DPP fully supports the abolishment of the NUC and regrets that KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou has suggested
asking for the opinion of the Chinese leaders, instead of asking the people of Taiwan.

The NUC is a product of the past autocratic regime, and Chairman Ma is only serving as the mouthpiece of Beijing
authorities.

The DPP believes that Taiwanese public opinion should determine whether or not the NUC continues to exist, and the
DPP will ensure that such issues are put up to a public debate. Issues such as abolishing the NUC, cross strait relations,
constitutional change and Taiwan’s participation in international organizations will be discussed in the next DPP-hosted debate.