MEDIA REACTION: RECALL OF PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002079 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC BARBORIAK DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: RECALL OF PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their coverage June 16 on further investigations into President Chen Shui-bian's son-in-law's role in an insider trading scandal and the roles of First Lady Wu Shu-chen and President Chen Shui-bian's close aides in the Sogo Department Store ownership case; former Premier Frank Hsieh's announcement he will run for Taipei mayor as the DPP candidate; and the FIFA World Cup. The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" ran a colored banner headline on page four that said "Bian Strongly Asserts That Recall Motion and No-Confidence Vote Are Meant to Usurp Power." The sub-headline added "Tainan County May Very Likely Be First Stop [for Chen] to 'Make a Report to the Taiwan People.'" Several papers also carried on inside pages the State Department's remarks Thursday welcoming the announcement of cross-Strait charter flights. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an analysis in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" said the Bush administration's backing for President Chen may meet Washington's short-term national interests, but the United States will be a loser when it comes to major values of honesty and democracy. An editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" supported Chen's decision not to submit a written defense to the recall motion to the Legislative Yuan and urged Chen to report to the Taiwan people with humility and honesty. An analysis in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" criticized KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou for trying to recall Chen for no reason. End summary. A) "United States Fully Supports A-bian Out of Comradeship" Professor Edward Chen of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of American Studies opined in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 500,000] editorialized (6/16): "On June 13, 2006, Taiwan's opposition parties successfully had the recall motion aimed at the month-long heatedly discussed 'Bian-gate' case adopted in the Legislative Yuan. Following its review, the Legislative Yuan is scheduled to vote on the motion June 27. The United States is undoubtedly a key factor during this process. "This writer believes that the United States deserves some credit for helping to strengthen the legitimacy of the exposure of corrupt practices in Taiwan. ... In addition, before the recall motion was adopted in the Legislative Yuan, new AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt visited Taiwan, but he did not say anything harsh with regard to all the corrupt practices and misconduct happening in Taiwan. Burghardt's move is akin to helping Chen under the table to stabilize his stand and is thus viewed as a 'demerit' for the United States when it comes to the normal development of Taiwan's democracy. On the surface, Chen's faithful assurance to adhere to his 'Four Nos' pledge and not to go beyond the Constitution when he pushes for constitutional reforms, in exchange for no harsh comments from Burghart, seemed like a fair deal. But given Chen's current situation, he has lost the legitimacy to launch any constitutional reform moves. "On the surface, it seems that Washington's assistance in stabilizing the morale in Chen's camp is in the U.S.'s interest. For one, Chen, who is stuck in the 'Bian-gate' case, has never been so vulnerable since he came to power, so now is the best moment for the United States to put him under control. Second, at this sensitive moment, when Chen is facing hostility from all sides, it will be most easy for Washington to make requests. Following the normalization of [cross-Strait] charter flights, Washington's next request should be direct transportation across the Taiwan Strait. Third, the United States is worried that once Chen is recalled, Lu will succeed him. [If that be the case,] not only will there be a new and dynamic atmosphere but unpredictability will also increase, and as a result, [the island] will be more difficult to control. "If this is really what the Bush administration has in mind, its actions might meet Washington's short-term national interests. The United States, however, will be a loser when it comes to the values that it has honored since the founding of its nation: honesty, democracy, and [the tenet that] politicians should not take any bribes. ... "For a long time, the United States has attached great importance to Taiwan's democracy. While facing difficulties for the time being with regard to its efforts in pushing for a democratic roadmap in the Middle East, Washington can shift its attention to Taiwan, whose young democracy still relies on the United States. As a full-fledged democratic country, the United States should not just say empty words like 'there are often sensitive moments in a democratic age,' but should directly tell the Taiwan people that one can make mistakes during the process of democratization, but he can never act shamelessly." B) "Chen Should Report to People with Humility, Honesty" The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 20,000] editorialized (6/16): "We strongly support the decision by President Chen Shui-bian and the Democratic Progressive Party to report directly to Taiwan's 23 million people on the record of the six years of DPP governance instead of submitting a formal reply to the recall motion filed Tuesday by the Legislative Yuan. ... We therefore approve of the DPP's call for the president to issue a report to the people that rebuts the recall motion and explains the DPP's administrative concepts, the difficulties it has experienced in the past six years, its administrative achievements and the directions and visions that will guide Taiwan's future development if DPP administration continues. ..." C) "Ma's Brazen Attack on Taiwan's Democracy" Cao Changqing, a Chinese-born dissident writer based in the U.S., opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (6/16): "... When Ma gave his reasons for supporting the recall motion, he inadvertently told us the truth. He said that the motion to recall Chen was a 'political action' and that 'a violation of the law is not necessary' to support such a move. In the midst of the barrage of pan-blue accusations against Chen, this was tantamount to telling the world that Chen had not violated the law and that he was not involved in the corruption scandals; that these accusations, in effect, were political fabrications without any foundation in fact. ..." KEEGAN