Chen sends unclear New Year message

Probably the only one signal the president sent clearly was an aside he made chiding his own premier Su Tseng-chang yesterday.

While reading the speech at a meeting marking the founding anniversary of the Republic of China, President Chen said yesterday morning there never is what is known as “Su revisionism” or “Su revisionist line.”

Premier Su made a number of decisions that ran counter to President Chen’s strictly anti-China police line. One decision to permit Taiwan chipmakers to produce better chips in China was announced only last Friday.

Any digress from the Chen line is considered Su revisionism.

“It doesn’t matter whether there is a Su revisionism or no Su revisionist line,” said Tseng Yung-chuan, the Kuomintang legislative caucus whip.

Tseng attached no importance to what President Chen said. “All we care,” he said, “is that the government does something to improve relations between Taiwan and China.”

His Kuomintang colleagues cared about what President Chen said or didn’t say.

Joanna Lei said Chen and Su are “tangoing.”

Chen openly chided but secretly aided Su, one of the top presidential hopefuls in 2008, the lady legislator said. “The public tongue-lashing is nothing but a send-off present for the premier,” she claimed.

Kuomintang lawmaker Su Chi picked up what the president did not clearly said.

“He (the president) shouldn’t add independence as an option open to the people of Taiwan,” Su pointed out. The president only insisted that the people of Taiwan alone have the right to decide their own future.

Another Kuomintang legislator, Lai Shyh-bao, regretted that President Chen did not mention any of the corruption scandals involving himself and his family. First lady Wu Shu-chen is standing trial for corruption.

People First Party lawmakers were equally at a loss how to comment.

Lee Hung-chun, PFP spokesman, said it is not clear whether the president supports or opposes his premier. “We had better just listen,” he added, “and nobody should entertain any expectations.”

PFP lawmaker Huang Yi-chiao simply described Chen as a lame duck who is “worse than a lame duck.” “That’s why he had to say what he said under strong pressure,” he alleged.

Democratic Progressive Party leaders were all for President Chen, albeit one lawmaker said the Chen remarks about the premier does not seem to indicate Su would be fired.

DPP lawmaker Chen Ching-chun stressed the importance of the president’s “Taiwan first” policy, saying it is better to have “proactive management and effective liberalization” in economic relations between Taiwan and China.

His colleague Lee Chun-yi said he does not believe President Chen wanted to fire Su as premier. The president denied he is at odds with Su, Lee added.

Another DPP legislator, Li Wen-chung, said every move taken has to be underlined by the “Taiwan first” principle. “Only in this way,” he added, “can we show that we love Taiwan.”

Lin Chih-chia, acting chairman of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, said it isn’t necessary to talk about Su revisionism. “What is important,” he added, “is that there is no tilt toward China in whatever action the government takes.”

Huang Chao-tang, chairman of the Taiwan Independence League, was all praise for President Chen. “The president has no plan whatsoever to look west,” he added.

To “look west” is the term the government uses to characterize a massive flow of foreign direct investment from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland.

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