Anti-Ma crowds rally

Braving the heat, at least 50,000 demonstrators launched the island’s first major rally against Ma of the Kuomintang since he took office on May 20.

The protesters banged drums, waved “China No” banners and shouted for Hong Kong-born Ma to step down over his conciliatory approach to China. Among the demonstrators were DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen,former Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen and his wife, World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) Chairman Ng Chiau-tong, DPP Legislators Chai Trong-rong and Kao Jyh-Peng, former DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun and former DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung, in addition to local officials and bus loads of people from central and southern Taiwan.

Over the past 100 days in office, President Ma and his government has pledged to improve ties with China. Both sides launched weekend charter flights for the first time in nearly six decades, and Ma’s government has also allowed more Chinese tourists to visit the island, and relaxed controls on China-bound investments, issues which had been shunned by the former DPP government.

“An open door policy should not come at the expense of Taiwan’s security, and it’s horrible that Taiwan’s future has been handed over to China for it to decide,” said Lo Chih-cheng, secretary general of the Taiwan Society, organizer of the rally.

Other pro-independence activists said that Ma’s conciliatory China policy will not stop Beijing squeezing Taiwan internationally.

“We’re afraid an economic integration between Taiwan and China would eventually lead to political unification, which is absolutely unacceptable to Taiwan people,” a DPP member said.

During yesterday’s rally, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen pledged to the supporters that she would bring them a better DPP, a more democratic Taiwan, a better economy and a clearer politics.

Chen Ming-wen, magistrate of the southern county of Chiayi, said the demonstrators denounced the Ma administration’s “unilateral” promotion of a “diplomatic truce” in the longstanding confrontation with China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory.

Chen described Ma’s approach as a sellout of Taiwan’s sovereignty.

The march, called “The People’s Outcry, “ was organized by the pro-independence Taiwan Society to highlight its call for the protection of Taiwan’s sovereignty, improvement of the economy and the enactment of sunshine laws.

Yet, the rally came with the island fixated on snowballing financial irregularities implicating former President Chen Shui-bian and his family. But this didn’t deter demonstrators, many of whom supported Chen’s rule from 2000 to early 2008. One march banner read “Support Bian until the end.”

The high-profile scandal has dealt another blow to pro-independence groups still reeling from the DPP’s two crushing defeats in the March presidential polls and the January parliamentary election.

“Taiwan’s economy was a mess when the country was ruled by DPP over the past eight years. They are supposed to be responsible for that, but now they blame the Kuomintang government only 100 days after we took the helm,” Kuomintang chairman Wu Poh-hsiung told a separate gathering.

Wang Yu-chi, spokesman of the Presidential Office, said last night that the office is glad to see the peaceful end of the rally. “The Presidential Office respects the right of the public to express their opinions, and will continue reinforcing communications with relevant sectors.”

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