Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced that he would not attend this year's National Day celebrations on his Facebook page on Monday.
Ma said the current government's decision to change the English name of the holiday to "Taiwan National Day" from the “Republic of China National Day” was his reason for declining.
In his post, Ma said that the change was a clear indication of the government's pro-independence stance. He argued that the change was not in line with the Constitution, which recognizes the Republic of China. Ma also said this decision endangered the status quo of the Taiwan Strait and the security of the country.
In response, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said that he doesn’t understand Ma's decision. He said this during an interview at the opening ceremony of the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET). Chen said that the government has been using the English name "Taiwan National Day" for several years and that Ma had attended previous celebrations. He hopes that everyone will come together to celebrate the National Day and defend the sovereignty, freedom, and democracy of Taiwan, the Republic of China.