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