Soong offers to rally opposition

People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday displayed his willingness to meet with other opposition party leaders to discuss measures to cope with the political fallout in the wake of the announcement of the termination of construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant last Friday.

"It will not be beneficial to the people if they become the victims of partisan conflicts. I will initiate meetings with the opposition party leaders next week to allow public opinion to be heard," Soong said while attending an opening ceremony for the PFP headquarters on Kinmen.

"I would not like to see Taiwan's economy victimized because of a political struggle," he added.

Soong went on to attack the timing of the announcement of the cancellation of the nuclear power plant as inappropriate, saying that Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's (張俊雄) announcement, immediately after President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) long-awaited meeting with Lien Chan (連戰), had destroyed the trust between the ruling and opposition parties. Soong said that the episode showed the overbearing (鴨霸) attitude of the new government.

Soong said that because there were a number of conflicting views within the KMT, the PFP would take the lead in looking for ways to stabilize the current political climate -- even though the KMT is the majority party in the legislature.

The PFP would contact members from opposition parties to discuss the situation and ways to avoid conflict, Soong said.

"The upcoming meetings are not being arranged to further any one party, rather, they [the meetings] will work to find the most effective ways to break the present political stalemate," Soong said.

Responding to Soong's suggestion, Lien said a coalition across opposition party lines is a normal and viable political strategy. He said that such alliances should not be restricted to opposition parties, but should unite the strength of all groups who care about the development of the country and the public's welfare.

KMT spokesman Jason Hu (胡自強) said that he had not yet received any messages from the PFP about Soong's possible visit. Hu said, however, that partisan affiliations could be achieved by negotiations made through party caucuses in the legislature.

New Party leader Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) heartily welcomed Soong's recommendation to consolidate the opposition parties' strength, saying that a meeting should be held to forge a consensus on the matter so that the public opinion could be made known.

Hau said that he had been lobbying for meetings between the three opposition parties since the announcement of the project's cancelation. Lawmakers of the three main parties had been staying in close contact and Soong was welcome to visit the New Party soon, Hau said.

In the meantime, facing a chorus of opposition, Chen will meet with four of the five government yuans today in a bid to resolve the mounting pressure and disputes regarding the power the Constitution gives the president when conflicts arise among yuans.

Observers say that the mechanisms in place for review of disputes within the branches of government should regard the president as a neutral participant, but given that Chen himself is at the center of the controversy, the outcome of discussions between the yuans is far from clear.