A referendum is an embodiment of the universal democratic ideal that the people, as vested masters of their homeland, have the fundamental right to determine their own destiny. Many countries with a longstanding history of democracy, such as Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, have held referendums at both the national and local level. In the newly democratized countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, referendums have played a key role in the arduous struggle for freedom and democracy. Many of these referendums have contributed much to regional peace and ethnic reconciliation. In the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland, for example, a referendum successfully consolidated the support of the people and finally brought about reconciliation and peace. These examples illustrate that Taiwan is not alone in the pursuit of freedom, democracy and peace through referendum.
The full support of the people of Taiwan prompted the Legislative Yuan to pass the Referendum Law last year. Taiwan now has a legal basis for holding the first national referendum in its history, worthy of joy and celebration.
The Constitution clearly endows the President with the responsibility of safeguarding national sovereignty and defending national security. In order to fulfill my constitutional duty and consolidate the will of the people, I have proposed a referendum on matters concerning national security in accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 17 of the Referendum Law. To safeguard national sovereignty and defend national security is my solemn duty, as is my commitment to allow the people of Taiwan to be masters of their own land.
Beijing unilaterally denies the sovereignty of our nation and conspires to force us to accept its so-called "one China" and "one country, two systems" formulae. In recent years, Mainland China has continuously increased the deployment of missiles against Taiwan and has repeatedly threatened us by refusing to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. This behavior in fact already meets conditions prescribed in the first paragraph of Article 17 of the Referendum Law as "the nation ... threatened by an external force that could cause a change in the nation's sovereignty."
To realize the principle of popular sovereignty and prevent China from unilaterally changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through a military offensive against Taiwan, we have decided to promote a March 20th Peace Referendum in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 of the Referendum Law. Two issues of national security concerning our country's defense capabilities and cross-strait negotiation will be put to the people through referendum. We will hold this historic referendum on March 20 to voice the will and the resolve of the people of Taiwan in preserving national sovereignty and seeking peace.
The first question to be posed in the March 20th Peace Referendum pertains to strengthening national defense:
The People of Taiwan demand that the Taiwan Strait issue be resolved through peaceful means. Should Mainland China refuse to withdraw the missiles it has targeted at Taiwan and to openly renounce the use of force against us, would you agree that the Government should acquire more advanced anti-missile weapons to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities?
Taiwan faces the world's most severe missile threat. It is anticipated that by 2005 China will have deployed a total of 600 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan, and the accuracy of their missiles will be greatly enhanced, to the extent that they will be capable of striking all major military bases in Taiwan with little or no warning.
China is increasing its missile arsenal against Taiwan at a rate of one every six days. We must quickly establish a consensus on strengthening our anti-missile capability to prevent a military imbalance between the two sides of the strait and to protect the livelihood and welfare of the people. This referendum serves to remind the people of the severity of China's missile threat and the urgency to enhance our anti-missile capabilities. We must make it known to China and the international community that the people of Taiwan will not be coerced, we will not cower in the face of intimidation, and we stand resolute.
The second question that will be posed in the March 20th Peace Referendum pertains to "peace negotiations":
Would you agree that our Government should engage in negotiation with Mainland China on the establishment of a "peace and stability" framework for cross-strait interactions in order to build consensus and for the welfare of the peoples on both sides?
In the face of China's military threat, we have two strong pillars of support: the people's will and our democratic system. As long as the people of Taiwan, through this democratic procedure of the March 20th referendum, clearly express their expectations for cross-strait negotiations, it will compel China to seriously consider stopping its sabotage efforts as soon as possible and resuming a dialogue with Taiwan.
Both sides of the strait are now at crucial junctures in their development. Aspiring for peace, seriously considering the development of cross-strait relations, and drawing lessons from other peace negotiations in history, we have proposed one principle and the four major issue areas for the establishment of a "peace and stability" framework for cross-strait interactions. After the second question posed in the March 20th Peace Referendum is approved by the people, we will invite China to appoint a special envoy to work together towards the initiation of cross-strait negotiations in accordance with this one principle and four major issue areas.
The "one principle" stands for establishing the principle of peace, including establishing joint responsibility for maintaining peace and a consensus to cooperate and to resolve disputes by peaceful means without the use of force or unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait area.
The "four major issue areas" are: (1) the establishment of a negotiation mechanism, to be negotiated by the appointed special envoys from both sides; (2) exchanges based on equality and reciprocity, where both sides negotiate on the establishment of cooperative relations and the matters deriving from mutual interactions; (3) the establishment of political relationship, where both sides should work together towards the establishment of a political relationship based on mutual respect and conducive to cross-strait interactions; and (4) the prevention of military conflicts, where both sides negotiate on reducing the possibility of military confrontation.
The March 20th Peace Referendum marks a significant milestone in Taiwan's history. Taiwan's perseverance in the pursuit of freedom, democracy and peace will win the respect and friendship from the international community.