TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former President Ma Ying-jeou declined on Monday (Oct. 2) to attend the upcoming National Day celebrations on Oct. 10.
Ma harshly criticized President Tsai Ing-wen for changing the name of the ceremony from "Republic of China National Day" (ROC National Day) to "Taiwan National Day."
He also criticized Tsai's administration for replacing the official name of the country, "Republic of China," with "Taiwan," interpreting it as a pro-independence move.
Ma believes Tsai's government is not adhering to the ROC's constitution, breaching Tsai's inauguration promises in 2016 and 2020 to follow the constitution. Ma argues this endangers the security in the Taiwan Strait.
On Facebook, Ma revealed that he had attended the National Day event annually for the past 40 years, regardless of his official capacity.
Ma called on citizens to use their votes in the January 2024 presidential election to oust a government that, he argues, ignores Taiwan's security and violates the constitution to reclaim the name of the country: the Republic of China.