(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-17 07:18

Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's promotion of a "referendum" on the island's entry to the United Nations in recent months has been severely criticized, says an article in Xinhua News Agency. The following is excerpt:

Wu Yi, a scholar with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an article published on Saturday that Chen's disregard of the people's call for peace and strong opposition from the international community will seriously jeopardize Cross-Straits stability.

Taiwan authorities sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in July, raising the possibility of an application to join the United Nations in the name of "Taiwan". Chen has also been pushing for a "referendum" in Taiwan on its entry to the UN.

One of the reasons Chen has been promoting the "referendum" despite the opposition is to seek protection for himself and his family after retirement, Wu said.

Since last year, Chen, his wife, and son-in-law, have been involved in several corruption scandals. Even if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds on to power in Taiwan in 2008, Chen will lose his judicial immunity and will face several law suits.

As a result, Chen is desperately seeking protection from "Taiwan independence" forces, including the use of the "referendum", to avoid judicial punishment after his retirement, Wu said.

Moreover, Chen wants to use the "referendum" to maintain his hold on the DPP and deal with a political crisis stemming from a mass rally by the opposition party to oust him last year.

Chen's "referendum" is trying to divert public attention from the DPP's poor economic and social achievements since gaining power.

The DPP is also using it to attract more votes from independence forces to compete against the opposition Kuomintang Party in next year's election, Wu said.

He said Chen's "referendum" does not have the backing of 23 million Taiwan people as claimed.

Chen has promoted the "referendum" to conceal his political incapacity and corruption, Wu said.

The scholar also pointed out that the "referendum" is another move to seek "de jure independence" by the DPP.

Although most of the Taiwan compatriots have been indifferent to the "referendum", Chen and the DPP's move, however, will definitely bring endless harm to the island's society, and to the stability and development of Cross-Straits relations, Wu said.

(China Daily 09/17/2007 page4)