The deputy legislative speakership, a post that is considered to be more prestigious than influential, has been turned into a bargaining chip by major parties in the post-election political realignment.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) reiterated yesterday that he is not in a position to comment on the issue as he himself is seeking support for his bid to remain at the helm of the lawmaking body.
Meanwhile, heavyweight DPP lawmakers who are eyeing the deputy speaker's post, engaged in a verbal skirmish when factions accused each other of chasing their own ambitions at the expense of the party's interest.
"I have no idea who my deputy should be," Wang told reporters in the legislature. "The matter is beyond my control and I have no intention of stepping into the political battle."
Wang is said to have come under tremendous pressure recently from former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who has suggested that the KMT speaker should "drop his ambiguity" and throw his weight behind a proposed KMT-DPP cooperative venture.
Lee has championed a coalition between the ruling DPP and the KMT because the two parties together control a two-thirds majority in the legislature and their reconciliation would put to rest any fears of political chaos.
But Wang could be hesitant to take a stand because he wants to avoid estranging the anti-Lee faction inside the KMT as well as inside the People First Party, whose 46 seats are also critical to his re-election.
Though ousted from the KMT, Lee holds sway over the 13 seats won by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) which he helped found in August.
Lee allegedly met with Wang days ago and prodded Wang to make public his stance on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) planned "cross-party alliance for national stabilization."
Chen proposed forming the alliance in the run-up to the legislative polls in the hope of creating a majority in the legislature to help endorse his policy initiatives. His party succeeded in replacing the KMT as the largest party in the Fifth Legislature, but failed to win a majority control.
DPP lawmaker Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), a contender for the deputy speakership, has reportedly secured 20 votes from KMT members.
"It is not convenient for me to remark on the matter because that may spoil the president's plans to shuffle the Cabinet," Ker said.
Chen has tied the Cabinet shuffle to the election of legislative leaders and has asked the opposition parties to recommend talented candidates for government posts.
Ker, however, suggested that the different DPP factions should sit down and work out an agreement to divide the resources available among themselves.
Another DPP lawmaker, Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), one of the prospective candidates for the vice speakership, rejected the suggestion.
A member of the Justice Alliance faction, Shen said he preferred working with the New Tide faction, if necessary.
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