Lee Teng-hui Past and Present: Clinging to Tsai Ing-wen, Distancing Himself from Chang Rong-fa

Lee Teng-hui Past and Present:
Clinging to Tsai Ing-wen, Distancing Himself from Chang Rong-fa
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
January 10, 2011

Summary: Lee Teng-hui has endorsed Tsai Ing-wen. This shows that Tsai Ing-wen remains a captive of the Taiwan independence movement. Tsai Ing-wen has chosen Lee Teng-hui's path. She has repudiated the 1992 Consensus. She has chosen the path of Taiwan independence. Others however, have chosen Chang Rong-fa's path. They have chosen to support the 1992 Consensus. They have chosen to oppose Taiwan independence.

Full Text Below:

Everyone is wondering how Lee Teng-hui will show his support for Tsai Ing-wen this election season. Will he get down on his knees? Will he appear before the public in a wheelchair? Will he weep openly? Will he appear before the public gaunt and unshaven?

Meanwhile, in Taipei, during a KMT led march on Saturday, EVA Air Chairman Cheng Kuang-yuan made his way through a sea of red, white, and blue Republic of China flags, followed by a dozen or so people holding high Evergreen company banners.

Evergreen CEO Chang Rong-fa, once a staunch supporter of Lee Teng-hui, issued a statement. He expressed unreserved support for the 1992 Consensus. He said "If following the election the victor insists that there is no 1992 Consensus, Taiwan's economy will be in serious trouble." He added even more bluntly, that the so-called "Taiwan consensus" is merely Taiwan independence under another name. He said Taiwan must not declare independence. If it does, the economy will collapse.

Chang Rong-fa now stands in diametric opposition to Tsai Ing-wen and Lee Teng-hui. When Chang Rong-fa said "If following election the victor insists that there is no 1992 Consensus, Taiwan's economy will be in serious trouble," he was talking to Tsai Ing-wen. Lee Teng-hui is currently sick and bed-ridden, Yet he has repeatedly issued statements maintaining that there was never any 1992 Consensus.

Few people are as outspoken as Chang Rong-fa. He bluntly noted that the so-called "Taiwan consensus" is merely Taiwan independence by another name. Tsai Ing-wen is not about to admit that her "Taiwan consensus" is merely Taiwan independence under another name. She will insist instead that her "Taiwan consensus" is merely "the democratic process" under another name. She will insist instead that eventual reunification or one China, different interpretations are also options. But she will not dare to suggest that the DPP's Taiwan independence party platform, its Resolution for a Normal Nation, one nation on each side, or Taiwan independence, are also options. This reveals her embarrassment. As we all know, Tsai Ing-wen's "Taiwan consensus" has only one purpose -- to enable Taiwan independence advocates to reject the 1992 Consensus. The only purpose of Tsai Ing-wen's "Taiwan consensus" is to provide Taiwan independence advocates with rhetorical cover. Its only purpose is to allow her to avoid directly rejecting the 1992 Consensus. This is a fact that Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP cannot deny.

Chang Rong-fa's criticisms are well warranted. As he astutely noted, Tsai Ing-wen refuses to recognize the 1992 Consensus because she remains committed to Taiwan independence. But she is afraid to openly acknowledge that she is promoting Taiwan independence. Therefore she is using her "Taiwan consensus" as a smokescreen.

Chang Rong-fa said that "If following the election the victor insists that there is no 1992 Consensus, Taiwan's economy will be in serious trouble." He said that "Taiwan must not seek independence. If it does, the economy will collapse." He was speaking his mind then as well. Most commentators are mealy-mouthed. Chang is markedly different. He punctured Tsai Ing-wen's balloon by pointing out the contradiction of honoring ECFA but simultaneously rejecting the 1992 Consensus.

When Tsai Ing-wen spoke of "Standing behind President Ma are people with money," she was referring to Chang Rong-fa. But Chang Rong-fa is concerned about more than his own businesses. He is concerned about Taiwan as a whole. He said that next to other economies the world over, Taiwan is relatively secure. He emphasized that "A key factor is the Mainland." Only the 1992 Consensus enables Mainland tourists to visit Taiwan and spend money. Only the 1992 consensus enables fruits and vegetables from Taiwan to be exported to the Mainland. In Chang Rong-fa's eyes, the spillover benefits of the ten trillion dollar ECFA production chain, directly or indirectly encompass every industry on Taiwan and all walks of life. So-called "people with money" are definitely not the only ones who benefit. Tsai Ing-wen tried to depict the 1992 Consensus as a "forfeiture of our sovereignty and a humiliation of our nation." She tried to depict it as "sugar-coated poison" or "pandering to [Mainland] China and selling out Taiwan."

If we use Lee Teng-hui as a reference point. Chang Rong-fa has been steadily drifting away from him. The two men are now poles apart. They have totally parted ways. But Tsai remains inextricably linked with Lee Teng-hui. She finds it impossible to shake off Lee Teng-hui. As a result, all she can do is embrace Lee Teng-hui, cling to Lee Teng-hui, and cling to Taiwan independence. What we see before us is Chang Rong-fa standing behind Ma Ying-jeou, and Lee Teng-hui standing behind Tsai Ing-wen.

This tableau is a microcosm of the presidential election. It represents our options in the presidential election. Chang Rong-fa has supported democracy on Taiwan since the "dang wai" era. Later he unreservedly supported Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian. No one can accuse him of not "seeing the world through Taiwanese eyes." But the world has changed. Our circumstances have changed. Chang Rong-fa obviously has new opinions about Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian. He obviously has new opinions about their policies as well as their character. That is why since 2008 he has been following the same path as Ma Ying-jeou.

Chang Yung-fa advocates adopting a "Taiwan perspective." But he opposes Taiwan independence. As a result, he has parted company with Lee and Chen. As Chang Rong-fa sees it, Tsai Ing-wen's "Taiwan consensus" is merely another euphemism for Taiwan independence.

Chang Rong-fa's perspective is reminiscent of what Chiang Pai-li wrote about a recent editorial. He wrote that Taiwan's political path must be congruent with its economic path. The more one departs from the other, the more swiftly Taiwan will perish.

The 1992 Consensus and one China, different interpretations is just that. It is congruency between Taiwan's political path and its economic path. Repudiation of the 1992 Consensus and advocacy of Taiwan independence, means a lack of congruence between Taiwan's political path and its economic path.

Lee Teng-hui has endorsed Tsai Ing-wen. This shows that Tsai Ing-wen remains a captive of the Taiwan independence movement. Tsai Ing-wen has chosen Lee Teng-hui's path. She has repudiated the 1992 Consensus. She has chosen the path of Taiwan independence. Others however, have chosen Chang Rong-fa's path. They have chosen to support the 1992 Consensus. They have chosen to oppose Taiwan independence.

李登輝今昔：蔡英文緊抱，張榮發遠離
【聯合報╱社論】 2012.01.10

眾人皆在猜測李登輝將在選季最後如何出面挺蔡英文，他會不會下跪？會不會坐輪椅？會不會流淚？會不會面容憔悴、不把鬍渣刮乾淨？

正當此際，在周六的台北遊行中，長榮航空董事長鄭光遠率隊擎著十餘面長榮旗幟，行走在青天白日滿地紅的國旗長河中。

早年力挺李登輝的長榮集團總裁張榮發出面稱，他力挺「九二共識」，「如果有人當選之後說沒有九二共識，台灣的經濟會很悽慘」。他甚至直截了當地說：台灣共識就是台獨；但台灣不可能獨立，否則經濟就會倒。

張榮發站在蔡英文與李登輝的對立面。因為，張榮發所指的「有人如果當選之後說沒有九二共識」，這個「有人」就是指蔡英文；而李登輝抱病臥床，還三番兩次發表聲明稱，沒有九二共識。

很少人能像張榮發這樣心直口快，他直指「台灣共識就是台獨」。蔡英文當然不會承認「台灣共識就是台獨」，她將「台灣共識」說成是一個「民主程序」，還說「終極統一或一中各表也可納入討論」，但她卻不敢提「台獨黨綱、正常國家決議文、一邊一國、台獨也可納入討論」，即可見其欲蓋彌彰的窘態；眾所共見，「台灣共識」是因台獨拒絕接受「九二共識」而發，且想作為台獨抵拒「九二共識」的障眼法或緩衝器，這卻是民進黨及蔡英文所無以否認的。

張榮發的批判有其理路，他是在指出：蔡英文因台獨而否定「九二共識」；卻又不敢直接主張台獨，所以改以「台灣共識」作為煙幕。

張榮發說，「如果說沒有九二共識，台灣的經濟會很悽慘」，又說「台灣不可能獨立，否則經濟就會倒」。這也是心直口快之論，與一般輿論文縐縐的迂迴矯情大異其趣；更是直接點破了蔡英文「反對九二共識／延續ＥＣＦＡ」之類的矛盾論調。

張榮發是蔡英文口中的「站在馬總統背後的有錢人」，但張榮發的關懷絕不只在他的自家產業，而是關切全台灣。他說，相較全球經濟環境，目前台灣算是比較安定，「很重要的原因是大陸」；在九二共識下，陸客才能來台觀光消費，台灣的蔬菜水果才能銷到大陸。也就是說，在張榮發眼中，這個總產值達十兆元的「ＥＣＦＡ產業鏈」的溢出效益，直接或間接地涵蓋了台灣各種行業，各個階層，絕非只對「有錢人」有利，更非蔡英文口中的「喪權辱國」、「糖衣毒藥」或「傾中賣台」。

以李登輝為基準，張榮發與李的距離是漸行漸遠，如今更已是南轅北轍、分道揚鑣；但蔡英文卻與李登輝難分難解，她因根本甩不掉李登輝，所以只能回過頭來抱住李登輝；抱住了李登輝，也就被台獨抱住。眼前的畫面是：站在馬英九背後的是張榮發，而站在蔡英文背後的是李登輝。

此一畫面其實正是此次總統大選的縮影，也正是這次總統大選的抉擇。張榮發自黨外時期即支持台灣民主運動，後來亦力挺李登輝及陳水扁，無人可以否定他的「台灣觀點」；但是，隨著世局及國情的變遷，張榮發顯然對李扁二人的政策及人格皆有新的思考，因此他自二○○八後選擇了馬英九的路線。

張榮發支持「台灣觀點」，但反對「台獨」，所以他向李扁二人揮手告別；在張榮發眼中，蔡英文的「台灣共識」，也只是在玩「台獨」的另一種花樣而已。

張榮發的觀點，與日前社論改用蔣百里的名言所見略同，那就是：台灣的政治路線必須與經濟路線合轍；兩者相合則強，相離則弱，相反則亡。

準此以言，「九二共識／一中各表」，就是政治路線與經濟路線相合；否定九二共識及主張台獨，則是政治路線與經濟路線相離及相背。

李登輝為蔡站台，證實了蔡無力擺脫台獨的挾持。此次大選，蔡英文選擇了李登輝「否定九二共識／挺台獨」的路，但也有人會選擇張榮發「支持九二共識／反台獨」的路吧！