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CHINA TRYING TO USE OPPOSITION TO INTERFERE IN ELECTION: PRESIDENT

Central News Agency

2005-05-09 12:52:28

    Taipei, May 9 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian said Sunday night that China is trying to use Taiwan's opposition parties to interfere in the island's May 14 National Assembly election.

    The mission-oriented National Assembly will decide on a package of constitutional amendments proposed by the Legislative Yuan last August, including halving the number of legislative seats, the adoption of a "single seat, two votes" election system, the abrogation of the National Assembly and the inclusion of referendum right in the constitution.

    President Chen also said in an exclusive interview with the local SET TV Channel that Beijing has also put pressure on Washington by trying to convince it that Taiwan's constitutional reform is aimed at providing a legal foundation for Taiwan independence.

    The president noted that a well-informed source has said that People First Party Chairman James Soong, who is currently in China for a nine-day visit, had met Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, during his visit to the United States in January this year.

    According to the president, the Chinese official has requested that the United States and Taiwan's opposition parties try to stop the constitutional amendments from being adopted since Beijing considers that the constitutional reform process is aimed at achieving Taiwan independence.

    The upcoming election will provide the Taiwan people with an opportunity to become their own masters and will also consolidate Taiwan's democracy, the president further said, adding that China's interference in the election is a "very serious matter. "

    The president also criticized those political parties that have reneged on their promises of supporting the constitutional amendments, claiming that "this behavior is an attempt to cheat the voters."

    The president said Beijing's earlier invitations to opposition Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan and PFP Chairman Soong to visit China were apparently an attempt to interfere in the National Assembly election. Lien visited China April 26-May 3. According to the president, China had originally planned to invite Lien and Soong for visits in May and June, respectively. "How can we continue to remain silent when China has already interfered in the election, " the president said, adding that Beijing is trying to use the Taiwan people's current enthusiasm toward the mainland to make them forget about the holding of the election.

    The president emphasized that inclusion of the referendum right into the Constitution, which is one of the items in the constitutional reform package, is of great importance in terms of replacing indirect democracy with direct democracy, which he said is important for consolidating Taiwan's democracy and is a symbol of national sovereignty. "What China fears most is Taiwan's democracy," he added.

    Reiterating that the May 14 election is aimed at making the Taiwan people become the masters of their own nation, the president said that if the constitutional reform package fails, Taiwan's democracy will regress and this will represent a victory for China.

(By P.C.Tang)

Enditem/Li