Typhoon Xangsane and the crash of a Singapore Airlines plane late on Tuesday night could change the political climate in the legislature in favor of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), some observers believe.
Analysts say the hiatus may give the DPP time to pick a better strategy to deal with moves to recall the president, while others believe the party could be hurt by events, as the public could blame the DPP for the disasters.
"I think both the natural catastrophe and the plane crash will have some impact on the recall issue. It could possibly cool down the furor and give the DPP more time to come up with measures to cope with the present political commotion," said Chin Heng-wei (
"The result of a poll yesterday indicates that 55 percent of respondents are not in favor of the recall, showing that it is not the desire of the majority. Given that fact, any extra trouble, such as recalling the president, could irritate the public," Chin said.
"More attention should be placed, for the time being, on how to help victims and their families get through this difficult time."
However, Chiu Hei-yuan (
"If avoiding these disasters -- the air crash and the floods caused by the typhoon -- could have been achieved by human intervention, how can the new government shirk responsibility?" Chiu said.
Another political analyst, Hu Yu-wei (
KMT officials yesterday insisted the typhoon and crash would not affect the recall.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
KMT spokesman Jason Hu (
But, he added, the KMT would keep its eye on the DPP and hopes to prevent them it from "taking advantage" of the situation.
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