With post-election cooperation again becoming a hot topic, KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
In addition to asking President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to abide by the constitutional framework -- a semi-presidency -- the KMT wants Chen to respect the majority party's or majority alliance's right to lead the formation of the Cabinet and give the KMT a chance to improve the economy.
"Of course anything is possible after the elections, but if we are to cooperate with the DPP, these three preconditions are a must," Lin said.
Responding to the KMT's demands, DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (
Wu said it is inappropriate to talk about such preconditions since votes have not been cast and the number of seats to be won by each party is still unknown.
"If the KMT [election effort] ends up a debacle, will the KMT still be qualified to set any preconditions?" Wu asked.
Discussion over the possibility of a KMT-DPP coalition after the Dec. 1 legislative elections surfaced again over the past days, after two pro-localization KMT candidates from Taipei -- Legislator Chen Horng-chi (
Their suggestion has been interpreted as a move to bring to the surface the struggle over the party line and has fueled reports that some KMT politicians would defect to the DPP after the elections.
While the pair is suspected of being among the potential defectors, some DPP and People First Party (PFP) members have gone so far as to claim that they had a list of names of those ready to jump ship.
Lin yesterday dismissed the reports as the kind of false information spread by rivals in an attempt to split the KMT and boost their showing in the Dec. 1 polls.
"Both the DPP and PFP have been trying to split the KMT, plundering a house when it is on fire. They want to split the KMT to save their shaky campaigns," Lin said.
Lin guaranteed that no KMT members would leave the party after the elections.
On the contrary, a "considerable number" of non-KMT politicians would become the KMT's allies after the elections, Lin said.
He said the "personal opinion" and campaign tactics of the two candidates will be respected, as long as they do not hurt the party.
Chen Horng-chi and Chen Hsueh-fen yesterday dared their accusers to present evidence to back up allegations that the pair would defect to the DPP after the elections.
They said they would quit the legislative races if such evidence was made available.
They stressed the purpose of their bid is to push for party-to-party negotiations between the KMT and DPP to form a strong Cabinet capable of resolving the nation's economic problems.
Meanwhile, New Party heavyweight Yok Mu-ming (
Yok said the KMT, PFP and New Party should negotiate a merger after the elections to ensure the opposition alliance's victory in the 2004 presidential race.
Yok argued that President Chen has been trying to block the formation of an opposition alliance because it would threaten his next presidential bid.
In response, Lin said the format of inter-party cooperation should be discussed after the elections so that a "wise" decision can be made.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
‘ILLEGAL RULING’: The KMT and the TPP slammed the Constitutional Court judgement, saying it contravened the law and was trying to clear the way for a ‘green dictatorship’ The Constitutional Court yesterday ruled that amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) passed by the Legislative Yuan last year are unconstitutional, as they contravene due legislative process and separation of powers. The Legislative Yuan on Dec. 20 last year passed amendments stipulating that no fewer than 10 grand justices must take part in deliberations of the Constitutional Court, and at least nine grand justices must agree to declare a law unconstitutional. The Executive Yuan on Jan. 2 requested that lawmakers reconsider the bill, but the Legislative Yuan, under a combined majority of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party
RSS