Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 02, 2004
Taiwan 'election', an election tearing people apart
The Taiwan "election", a farce even nosier than TV serials, has not come to an end yet. However, one thing is certain. The election has torn ethnic groups in Taiwan apart; it has undermined Taiwan's relations with the Chinese mainland...
The Taiwan "election", a farce even nosier than TV serials, has not come to an end yet. However, one thing is certain. The election has torn ethnic groups in Taiwan apart; it has undermined Taiwan's relations with the Chinese mainland; and has damaged relationship between Taiwan authorities and overseas Chinese communities, says an Australian Chinese Times' commentary titled "Taiwan "election", an election tearing people apart" on March 31.
The commentary says that the blue and green camps have never been so entirely different as they are at present. And the middle electors have never been in such a quandary. The divergent ideology of the two camps has aroused antagonism in society, ethic groups, the south and the north and even in families.
If Chen Shuibian succeeds in maintaining his position, Taiwan will undoubtedly cling to its "state- to-state" stance in its relationship with the mainland. So the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland has never been so worrisome as it is today
After the election, an elderly who supported the "blue" camp was so angry at the noisy election that he committed suicide. The election has separated Taiwan from most overseas Taiwanese, who still recognize the "Republic of China" and the Kuomintang. They identify China as their root. But Chen Shuibian, and the government he represents will not think so, because this government is ruling under the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party, which advocates "Taiwan independence".
Chen Shuibian would be regarded as an incredible leader by the Taiwanese, the Chinese mainland and the international community for his suspicious acts in the "election", even if he could be re-elected by tiding over the current political crisis. Under this situation, political crisis will possibly recur at any time. Taiwanese people may probably be unaware of the fact that they have chosen a dangerous person, who would drag them into disasters at any time.