9/30/2013
Department of International Affairs - Democratic Progressive Party
The following are remarks made by DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang at an international press conference on Sept. 30:
"Today, we are holding this press
conference with the utmost of seriousness and solemnity.
"Over the decades, the Taiwanese people
went through the White Terror Era, in which they had to endure military and
police suppression. Step by step, through peaceful means, the people broke through
Martial Law and one-party autocracy. They opened the doors to democracy, allowing
the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights to become part of
Taiwan and receiving the affirmation of the international community. However,
these hard-worn democratic assets are now facing the greatest threat.
"From the current information that has
surfaced so far, President Ma and the executive branch has already conducted unconstitutional
and illegal actions that are even more serious than the US’ Watergate Scandal. It
is right to call this time’s incident: “Congressgate”.
"The truth has yet to surface, but what
we are certain of is this:
1. The
Special Investigation Division (SID) has for a long time been illegally
wiretapping the Legislative Yuan, illegally publicizing the wiretapping
transcripts. This action not only violates the original purpose of instituting
the SID, but it also violates regulations stipulated in the Communication
Security and Surveillance Act. Furthermore, these actions show an inconsistence
in the constitutional principle of the three separations of powers.
2. Instead
of abiding by his constitutional responsibility, the Premier has assisted in
the internal power struggle of the political party and has criticized the
legitimacy of the legislative speaker. The evidence is clear, and this is a serious
insult to the power of supervision as well as to congressional independence.
3. The
President took the initiative to meet with SID’s prosecutor-general to discuss
the investigation of judicial cases. This is a clear evidence of presidential
interference into the judiciary and a violation of the constitutional order.
4. The
President employed the recordings of illegal wiretapping to force the
legislative speaker out of his position. The President violated the
constitutional power of supervision, and in addition, the separation between the
roles of political party and government. More seriously, the President violated
the power granted to congress and breached the spirit of the power separation.
"If the constitution is not being followed, the
continuous existence of our democracy, freedom, and human rights will be in
serious jeopardy. Democracy, freedom and human rights not only constitute the
core values of the DPP, but also its long-term goals. Our stance is clear: it
is time to take action.
"In regards to the illegal wiretappings, we propose
to abolish the SID immediately. We also propose to establish a fact-finding
committee to determine the truth behind this scandal and to identify the
responsible parties involved. The committee will investigate what roles the
President, the Premier, and the Prosecutor-General played. As the Prosecutor-General
and SID members have already admitted to wrongdoing in performing the
wiretappings, we believe that they should be relieved of their duties for
investigation immediately to prevent them from tampering with important
evidence.
"It is now clear that the President together with
the Premier violated the constitution due to party struggle within the KMT. Public
opinion clearly demonstrates a serious distrust and disproval of the President
and the Premier’s recent actions. We ask that President Ma take responsibility
of this scandal and to resign his post immediately. If the President is
unwilling to take responsibility of his own actions, we will take appropriate constitutional
moves to stop the administration from further violating the constitution. The
possible options include: the impeachment or recall campaign against President
Ma and the dismissal of the whole cabinet. We will be taking actions soon.
"KMT political members should take immediate note
of the serious consequences of President Ma’s unconstitutional acts. As a
result of this scandal, Taiwan is now experiencing an unacceptable degree of political
chaos and social instability. The people clearly object what the administration
is doing these days. If the KMT still tries to protect the President against
the will of the Taiwanese people, there is no doubt that they will be punished
by the Taiwanese voters for their irresponsible actions.
"Democracy is Taiwan’s most precious
asset. It represents the hard-earned achievements made by the Taiwanese people
over decades by breaking through the barriers of Martial Law and choosing this
way as a method of life. We can’t allow any individual or a political party destroy
this. We must never let this happen and we must gather the power of civic
society to persist in protecting Taiwan’s democracy!"
