MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S NEW CONSTITUTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000048

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC
BARBORIAK
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S NEW CONSTITUTION



1. Summary: Major Chinese-language Taiwan dailies focused
their coverage January 6 on a) KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's
interview with local media about cross-Strait relations,
U.S. arms procurement, and President Chen Shui-bian's
proposal of a Chen-Ma meeting; b) President Chen's weekly e-
newsletter that calls upon the public to ditch any fantasies
about China; and c) other political issues.


2. The pro-unification "United Daily News" ran a banner
headline on its front page that read: "Ma Ying-jeou Throws
out [the Topic of Launching] a `Direct Transportation
Referendum' to Push for Three Links [across the Taiwan
Strait]." The newspaper also quoted Ma in its headline on
page four as saying the "KMT and Chinese Communist Party
might choose a third place for a platform of exchange" and
that "[Ma] will not visit the United States until the
[future direction of the U.S.] arms procurement bill becomes
clearer." The centrist "China Times" also quoted Ma on its
page four as saying that "[the KMT] will no longer block the
[U.S.] arms procurement bill once it [Taiwan] clarifies
[Taiwan's defense] needs." The pro-independence "Taiwan
Daily," however, carried President Chen's e-newsletter on
its front page, saying "[The public should] see clearly
China's true intent to annex Taiwan and [should] ditch any
fantasies [about China.]"


3. In terms of editorials, a "United Daily News" editorial
commented on President Chen's remarks about pushing for
Taiwan's new Constitution in his New Year's Day address.
The editorial discussed the possible contents of and
procedures required for formulating such a new Constitution
and concluded by saying it "can hardly see any legitimacy
with regard to Chen's attempt to `push for Taiwan's new
Constitution' here and now." End summary.

"Probabilities and Improbabilities Concerning `Taiwan's New
Constitution'"

The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation:
400,000] commented in an editorial (1/6):

"Chen Shui-bian talked about `pushing for Taiwan's new
Constitution' in his New Year's Day address. Questions
regarding how such a new Constitution will be formulated,
what contents it will include, and the political impact it
will generate will become more and more popular political
topics [of discussion]. .

"With regard to the contents of the new Constitution, Chen
hinted strongly in his New Year's Day address that [the new
Constitution] will involve `rectifying [Taiwan's] name and
the writing of a new Constitution.' [Following Chen's
logic,] will the so-called `Taiwan's new Constitution'
simply be a disguise [to pay lip service to Green
supporters] or will it really replace the [current] `ROC
Constitution'? The answer to this question will not be
known until Chen unveils [the answer] himself. But in the
meantime, the `Presidential Office's Constitutional Re-
engineering Office' claims that Chen has repeatedly
guaranteed that the [government's] second-stage
constitutional reform will not involve [sensitive] issues
such as unification or independence, nor will it attempt to
change Taiwan's national title. [Comparing Chen's words
with those of the Presidential Office's Constitutional Re-
engineering Office], the [discussion about the] so-called
`[Taiwan's] new Constitution' has turned into a Rashomon-
like situation; namely, the Presidential Office now has two
different versions for interpreting the `new Constitution' -
that is, it will either be `the eighth amendment to the ROC
Constitution' or it will be `the first edition of Taiwan's
new Constitution.'

"The contents of the new Constitution, however, are also
related to the process of amending the Constitution (or
writing a new Constitution). If [the new Constitution] is
simply meant to be `the eighth amendment to the ROC
Constitution', it is then subject to the required
constitutional procedures of `being initiated by the
Legislative Yuan and then put forward in a referendum,'
meaning that the Legislative Yuan will have to get involved
in the process. [On the other hand,] only when [the
government] is determined to institute and promulgate a
genuine `first edition of Taiwan's new Constitution' can it
adopt the method of `having the bill initiated by civilians
(by Chen himself, actually).' If this is the case, [the
government] must understand that it will have to severely
confront or even go to war with those who disagree with
"Taiwan's new Constitution' within and outside Taiwan
(including the United States, mainland China, and ROC
citizens.)

"Given the afore-mentioned brief analysis, we can hardly see
any legitimacy with regard to Chen's attempt to `push for
Taiwan's new Constitution' here and now. ."

PAAL