Meanwhile, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday said she was not surprised Tsai had decided to run for Sinbei mayor, but added that Tsai’s opponent would pressure her to commit to a four-year term should she win.
Lu said that while it was widely known that Tsai would run, she felt regret that it had taken her so long to make the announcement.
Lu also cast doubt on Tsai’s efforts to reform the party, saying voters would judge in November’s polls whether the manner in which the party selected the candidates for the five special municipalities was the right thing to do.
Besides, Lu said, it remained to be seen whether Tsai’s victory symbolized success in party reform.
While Chu has vowed to finish the four-year term if elected, he has asked Tsai to make the same commitment. Lu yesterday said it was a question that Tsai and other party candidates must answer as their opponents will continue to ask.
Lu also expressed regret that some of the DPP and KMT candidates for the five elections were not locals. She said that while she did not know whether such a decision was good for the parties, she would have liked to see less political calculation and more focus on serving the people.
Lu criticized the KMT administration for failing to map out a well-thought-out plan before it rushed into merging and upgrading the status of the five special municipalities. She urged the candidates of the two parties to propose remedies for the problem and believed the party that presented the best solution would win the elections.
Lu made the remarks during a question-and-answer session at a press conference she called to launch her blog yesterday morning.
In response to Tsai’s announcement, KMT legislators accused her of planning to use the Sinbei mayoralty as a springboard for the presidential election.
KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said Tsai’s decision to run in the mayoral race was an “insult” to residents of the to-be-created Sinbei City because Tsai might only plan to stay there temporarily.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) urged Tsai to promise not to join the presidential race.
“If she refuses, that means she is simply trying to deceive voters in Sinbei City,” Wu said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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