National Day event sees party leaders urging unity amid legislative rivalry

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) In a National Day ceremony where both ruling and opposition party leaders shared the same stage, calls for national unity were loud, but party competition remained strong.

In his address, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who concurrently chairs the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), called for unity among Taiwanese "regardless of what name we choose to call our nation -- the Republic of China; Taiwan; or the Republic of China Taiwan."

Following the approach of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), also from the DPP, Lai's comments marked an apparent attempt to appeal to the nation's 23 million people with varied and sometimes conflicting political preferences and national identities.

Lai, who has for years born the label he coined for himself, "a pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence," began his speech with the struggles of those who founded the Republic of China more than a century ago.

He then moved on to the democratic movement in Taiwan in the late 1970s -- led by those who would later form the Taiwanese independence-leaning DPP -- at a time when the country was still ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT) under martial law.

"The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu," the president said outside the Presidential Office Building. "On this land, democracy and freedom are growing and thriving."

Speaking on the same stage a little earlier than Lai, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT, now the biggest opposition party in the Legislature, also called on the people of Taiwan to "unite together and protect [our] cherished island of Taiwan."

"In Taiwan, [we] may have different identities, but whenever [we are] away from the country, [we] always think of [our] most beautiful homeland, Taiwan," said Han, who had advocated for closer ties with Beijing during his unsuccessful 2020 presidential run.

Making a rhetorical turn, however, the speaker then pledged to push forward with amendments to government oversight laws adopted by the KMT and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers, who together form a majority in the Legislature, in May.

Only when the government is open and transparent will democratic governance be truly realized, Han said, in defending the amendments that would have given legislators much broader investigative powers.

The outcome of the revisions -- which have been criticized by Lai himself, the DPP legislative caucus and the party-led government agencies as seeking to usurp the powers of the Control Yuan and infringing on people's rights to privacy and trade secrets -- now hinge on a ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Meanwhile, Lai, without elaborating, warned against "the interests of party tak[ing] precedence over the interests of people" in his address while expressing hope for "cooperation" with opposition parties at the Legislature.

In addition to the disputes over the government oversight laws, the DPP legislative caucus and their opposition counterparts have been struggling to agree on government budget plans and nomination confirmation, among other issues, bringing the current Legislature to almost a standstill.

"No matter our political party, no matter our political stances, national interests come before the interests of parties," Lai told the ceremony attended by legislators from the three parties.

TPP lawmakers Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), in a show of solidarity with the party's chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been embroiled in corruption scandals in recent months, both wore a t-shirt printed with "JUSTICE."

Ko has been accused of making illegal financial gains while serving as Taipei mayor from 2014 to 2022 -- allegations he denied -- and has been in detention since early September.

The event also saw Tsai, who stepped down as president in May after serving for two four-year terms, and former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the DPP sitting side by side on the main stage, along with local politicians and foreign delegates.

Chen, a staunch advocate for Taiwanese independence, served as president from 2000 to 2008 but was convicted of bribery and money laundering during his time in office. In 2009 he was sentenced to life in prison, reduced to 20 years on appeal later; he was released on medical parole in 2015.

It remains unclear whether the former DPP president obtained permission in advance from the Ministry of Justice, given one of the conditions of his parole was to not participate in political events.

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT, on the other hand, told reporters outside the party's headquarters earlier on Thursday that he had decided not to attend the ceremony, despite his office's prior confirmation that he would.