A man should stick to his words "this is a basic code of ethics that politicians must live by. Without it, one can hardly merit the company of respectable people, let alone be able to conduct politics.

Taiwan is having an election. What qualifications should the candidates have" Trustworthiness is certainly one "the ability to keep promises. How can one win public trust if he has the habit of breaking promises to the people" If he tends to lie about big political issues, how can the electorate count on him when it comes to a "mundane'' topic like public opinion"

Where is the sense of security when one follows such a leader" One would be kept in the dark even when he is being sold out.

When Chen Shui-bian first took power, he pledged not to declare independence; not to rewrite Taiwan's "constitution" not to change the official name of "Republic of China" not to hold a referendum on independence and not to abolish the National Reunification Guidelines, Taiwan's 1991 blueprint for eventual reunion with the mainland.

Yet before the hollow echo of his empty words died down and before his term has expired, he is back-pedalling by saying that "not'' really means nothing.

As a matter of fact, when Chen made the pledge, some people were suspicious. The mainland adopted a policy of "listening to what he says and watching what he does,'' which gave him enough space to carry out his promises.

It was also a time when Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits as well as the international community got to know more about him.

As it has turned out, Chen has not stood the test of time.

Every "not'' has been replaced by a new interpretation, which translates into not declaring independence because Taiwan is a de facto independent nation; not changing the official name of "Republic of China" because it exists in name only and must be corrected; not rewriting the old "constitution" but writing a new one from the ground up; not holding a referendum to change the current status, but having one directly on the unification versus independence issue; and not abolishing the National Reunification Guidelines but totally ignoring them.

Hence, Chen Shui-bian is doing away with the mask of adhering to his pledges, but publicly touting Taiwan independence and challenging China's sovereignty.

He uses the "mainland's continued military threat'' as his excuse for abandoning his pledge. But it cannot stand the test of logic.

First of all, he has reversed the positions of independence and threat. The fact is, without the possibility of independence, there would be no "military threat.''

"Taiwan independence'' is the horse that is driving the cart of "military threat.'' No military force of a nation would sit idle when the nation's sovereignty is threatened by separatism. Any attempt to subversion would be severely dealt with.

Second, the mainland's military deployment is a symbol of national sovereignty and can only be executed by the nation's highest administrative authority. Chen Shui-bian and his gang do not have the right to interfere. If Chen can buy expensive weapons to "resist unification with military force,'' why can't the mainland use the military to "prevent independence"''

The cross-Straits hostility has not come to an end. There is no peace accord between the two sides. Under such circumstances, what right does one side have to press the other to give up the right to use force" The only way to make the mainland change its military manoeuvring is to abandon "Taiwan independence'' and sign a peace agreement.

More importantly, the mainland's "military threat'' is targeted at "Taiwan independence'' forces and has nothing to do with the Taiwan public. As Jiang Zemin said: "Chinese do not attack other Chinese.'' Those who need to be punished are the ones who "are ashamed that they are Chinese, and would rather be foreigners,'' those who want to separate the country and sell it out. If Chen Shui-bian and the diehard separatists are trembling, that means the "threat'' is working. Never should they expect a "peaceful independence.''

All signs point to Chen Shui-bian as one who does not care for his reputation. His reneging on his erstwhile pledge, under the pretence of "mainland military threat,'' is highly illogical. And his polemic is leading the Taiwan people down the alley of war, chaos and misery.

He is an irresponsible and dangerous person. People with a sense of decency, beware.

(China Daily January 8, 2004)