KMT plans to announce recall motion

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is looking more determined to force President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) off stage, as it plans to announce a recall motion in today's Central Standing Committee meeting amid plans for a signature drive and a rally to demand Chen's resignation.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) declined to say yesterday whether the party preferred a recall motion against Chen or a move to dismiss the Cabinet. But he said he thought it likely that the first couple were directly involved in the recent scandals.

"The first lady's relationship with Chen You-hao (陳由豪) and President Chen's involvement in the TDC scandal show that they may be directly involved in the cases," Ma said after presiding over a municipal meeting at the Taipei City Hall.

Ma said the KMT caucus will make the final decision on whether to support a recall motion or try to dismiss the Cabinet. However, KMT Taipei City Councilor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), who is also a member of the Central Standing Committee, later confirmed that the party will make the announcement on the recall proposal today.

The KMT is also initiating a signature drive called "A-bian steps down to save Taiwan" to encourage the public to demand Chen's resignation, and it is planning an anti-Chen rally for Saturday in Kaohsiung -- even though the People First Party (PFP) is sponsoring a similar rally in Taipei that day.

PFP caucus whip Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said yesterday that PFP Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) had visited his KMT counterpart Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) to invite the KMT to join its Taipei rally, "but Chan said that KMT will be staging a protest in Kaohsiung."

Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), executive director of the KMT's policy coordination department, said the decision to go to Kaohsiung was based on Ma's schedule, since he already had activities planned for southern Taiwan this weekend.

Lu tried to make the best of the split schedule.

"Despite having different protest rallies, the PFP and KMT have the same goal -- the president has to resign," he said.

Nevertheless, the KMT's decision to hold its own rally has rankled some PFP members.

"[Ma] is just like a runaway doctor. While an expectant mother [the PFP] is going to give birth [Chen resigning as a result of the PFP's protests], the doctor chooses to run away, using a business trip to Kaohsiung as an excuse," PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said.

"I think a runaway doctor is beneath contempt," Liu said.

"Ma and the KMT initially opposed recalling the president. But now, when they realize that such a demand is gradually gaining public support, they have started to change their tune," PFP Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said.

Some PFP councilors urged Ma to seek pan-blue unity.

"We should work together to organize a cross-party and cross-ethnicity rally and invite everyone who is dissatisfied with Chen Shui-bian to join the protest," Taipei City Council Deputy Speaker Lee Hsin (李新) said during a question-and-answer session.

However, Hsin, along with Taipei City councilors Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and Huang You-chong (黃幼中) slammed Ma for causing a pan-blue split with his surprise appearance at the PFP's anti-Chen rally last Saturday.

"You were attending an event held by a pan-blue ally, but mobilized a big group of police to protect you. Do you think pan-blue supporters will hurt you?" Huang You-chong asked.