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PRESIDENT URGES ARMED FORCES TO SHED `OLD MINDSET'

ROC Central News Agency

2007-06-26 17:57:01

    Taipei, June 26 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian urged the military Tuesday to sever ties with the "old era" and shed what he called is its "old mindset" and step up democratic education in the military.

    The president made the remarks while presiding over a commissioning ceremony for senior military officers at the Ministry of National Defense. A total of 45 military personnel were promoted to the ranks of major general or lieutenant general.

    The president noted that from July 1, the "five tenets" of the nation's armed forces that have been observed for decades will be shortened to "three tenets."

    He was referring to the deletion of "doctrine" and "leader" and the keeping of "nation, responsibility and honor."

    He said that in the past, the line between the then-ruling Kuomintang and the nation was thin so that the military put "doctrine and leader" ahead of "nation" to facilitate the championing of a specific ideology and the promotion of the personality cult of the late President Chiang Kai-shek and later his son, the late President Chiang Ching-kuo. "In this way, the armed forces served a specific party and individuals, " Chen said, which he said posed the greatest hindrance and damage to Taiwan's pursuit of democracy and freedom.

    He noted that since he first assumed the presidency in 2000, he immediately embarked on the task of promoting the neutrality of the armed forces and readjusting the function of the political warfare system from a tool serving a specific party to spy on the armed forces to one that really cares about the welfare of military personnel.

    He also ordered the removal of all statues of Chiang Kai-shek from military barracks.

    These, coupled with the shortening of the tenets for the armed forces, have paved the way for the military to "sever ties with the old era and shed its old mindset thoroughly," Chen said.

    He expressed the hope that "political turbulence will not affect the right tenets and management of the military."

    He noted that there will be two national elections in the coming months -- the legislative and the presidential elections, during which several proposals might be put to national referendum -- which he said will be a major litmus test of Taiwan's deepening of democracy.

    He urged the armed forces to "step up the education of democracy and rule of law so that the armed forces will not be disrupted by the election activities."

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J