"We have nothing to hide; and we are in great joy and high spirits about this, " Su said in response to a newspaper report accusing the government of using the preparations for the Republic of China's (ROC's) 100th National Day as a way to help President Ma Ying-jeou win a second term in 2012.

The 100th National Day is a big event of the country, Su said, adding that it is difficult for him to understand the reason for the accusations.

Su described the 100th National Day as a good chance to publicize around the world that the ROC - the first democratic republic in Asia - is going to be 100 years old.

"Why would someone want to deny the 100th National Day with thoughts of election campaigns and ideologies? ... Do they want to celebrate the ROC's 100-year-old birthday in silence? Is it positive to the ROC's sovereignty?" Su asked.

The Monday news report in the Liberty Times voiced concerns over the government's plan to set up a foundation to carry out National Day celebration projects and to solicit donations from the private sector to finance the celebrations.

The report said such an organization is free of the government's budget control, and will operate for nearly two years. It will exist for so long, approaching the presidential election in 2012, that it raises concerns that the government may use it to raise election funds for Ma, the report said.

At the Legislative Yuan, opposition Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers reiterated such concerns.

In response, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng accused them of "overreacting, " saying the 100th National Day is a day worthy of celebration by everyone, regardless of which political party he or she comes from.

As for the planned foundation, Su stressed it will be formed according to the law.

"There won't be anything illegal, " he said, expressing hope that the public will see the country's 100-year-old birthday celebration in a healthy way.

The government has set up an organizing committee to prepare for the 100th National Day celebrations. Vice President Vincent Siew has been appointed chairman of the committee, and Premier Wu Den-yih and Wang have been named vice chairmen.

The ROC was established in 1911, replacing the Qing Dynasty and ending over 2,000 years of imperial rule in China to become the oldest surviving republic in East Asia.

The ROC government fled to the island of Taiwan in 1949 after the Nationalists lost the civil war to the Communist, who established the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland.