KMT to release its asset report

"We hope to gather 830,000 signatures by the end of the year," he said.

"Our goal is to hold the national referendum next year in tandem with the year-end legislative election," Tsai added.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) yesterday threw his backing behind the DPP's campaign, saying that the KMT should return its stolen party assets and that the legislature should pass a party assets law.

Lin also called on the KMT to be grateful to Lee for institutionalizing the disposition of the party's assets, rather than blaming the former president for losing money to bad investment.

TSU Legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) criticized the KMT for "unfairly treating" Lee, who the TSU regards as its spiritual leader, in the report.

"The management of party assets under Lee's leadership was not his prerogative, but a collective decision. In addition, not all party-run businesses made losses in Lee's time," Lo said.

"I think people care more about how Ma sold the party's assets one after another on the cheap and benefited big businesses. The report should address this part," Lo added.

Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also said that it's unfair to say that Lee should take responsibility for the loss of party assets.

"While there were some party-run businesses running in the red during Lee's time, Lee collected at least NT$70 billion to NT$80 billion for the party," Wang said.

"When the nation was encountering a bubble economy and a financial crisis, some party resources were used by Lee to pull troubled companies through their difficulties. It would be a one-sided conclusion to just say how much of a loss Lee had made," he said.