To end the political struggle over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant
Yao Chia-wen
"Chen wanted to ask Lin to help him coordinate the different voices within the party," Yao said, "but based on my understanding of Lin's personality, I doubt he will come out and reconcile [the party's stance with Chen's policy]."
Lin, nicknamed "the ascetic monk" (苦行憎), who has been lobbying for support of his anti-nuclear ideals all over the country, saw the climax of his DPP chairmanship in Chen's winning last year's presidential election and the transfer of power during his tenure.
Therefore, if Lin is willing once again to support Chen in his likely decision to restart the plant, the extent of any backlash on the part of DPP members may be reduced. Lin's absence yesterday, however, seemed to signal that he is choosing not to follow Chen's path this time.
"Lin obviously was expressing his disapproval of Chen's possible final decision, according to messages released from the presidential office," DPP Legislator Hong Chi-chang (
Hung added that he completely understood that Chen was eager to end the political controversy in order to consolidate power in his shaky administration, but he would disagree with Chen as to whether the president should compromise over the plant under pressure from the opposition alliance.
"The DPP has reached a consensus of support for the Cabinet's decision to discontinue the plant's construction, so we should be consistent in safeguarding our vision even now that we are under great pressure," Hung added.
Expressing his determination to see the plant scrapped, Lin recently wrote a personal letter to Premier Chang Chun-hsiung
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen
However desirable the goal of a nuclear-free country may be, Chen still has to face the political reality that he is powerless to achieve the goal given the fact that the DPP is a minority in the legislature. Moreover, former director of the DPP's department of culture and information, Sisy Chen (
"Chen is anti-nuclear in nature, but he has never made any clear determination to scrap the plant," she said during a TV talk show.
Whether the president will act on the opposition alliance's resolution remains unclear, but Chen faces not only opposition from within the DPP, but also the possibility of facing party discipline if he gives the go-ahead for the plant's resumption.
Lin had previously proclaimed that any DPP government officials who supported the plant would be violating the party's platform. "The president should dismiss any DPP Cabinet members who support the plant," Lin said, while he was still DPP chairman.
In response to Lin's remarks, the premier also promised to abide by the party's platform after he took office last October, saying: "I, as a DPP member, am not likely to make a decision that will violate the party's platform."
Those words would appear to further tighten the trap in which the president and premier now find themselves.
Yao, however, disagreed.
"The plant's construction is a fait accompli. If the president and the premier fail to scrap it, they do not necessarily violate the party's platform since they have both expressed their anti-nuclear stances," Yao said, adding that he sympathized with the president's position.
Yao remained pessimistic, however, adding that it seemed that the president could not find a solution to his predicament since many anti-nuclear activists from abroad have also threatened to come back to Taiwan and join the domestic protests if he should decide to continue the plant's construction.
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