TAIPEI,?? ?? ??? June 25 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's latest speeches have drawn widespread criticism from across the island, with many accusing him of deliberately distorting history to serve his separatist agenda.
Lai kicked off the so-called "10 lectures on unity" campaign on Sunday, with each lecture focusing on a specific theme. The first speech was made two days after Taiwan's election commission announced a recall vote, scheduled for July 26, targeting more than 20 legislators of the Chinese Kuomintang.
Critics argue that the timing of the lecture campaign was politically calculated to coincide with the key publicity window leading up to the voting.
Yu Tzu-hsiang, a professor at Shih Hsin University in Taiwan, said on a talk show that Lai's speech can be seen as a covert push for "Taiwan independence" and that Lai's approach to "unity" is simply about uniting those who support the independence agenda.
The themes of these 10 lectures are highly repetitive and fail to address many of the issues that matter most to the public, such as energy, housing and social security, thus exposing the policy void that has existed under Lai's leadership, said Taiwan People's Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang in a media interview.
An article in the Taipei-based China Times said that rather than aiming to listen to or unite the people, Lai opted to deliver a one-sided promotion of "Taiwan independence" in the speeches. The article noted that his real purpose is to transform the narrative of the upcoming recall vote from an interparty conflict to cross-Strait confrontation.
The United Daily News in an editorial described Lai's lectures on "unity" as "deeply ironic," arguing that Taiwan is more divided today than ever, largely because of Lai's policies.