Power plant stance may get Chen hurt

To end the political struggle over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四), President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is reported to be about to compromise and accept the opposition alliance's resolution to resume the plant's construction. But he may face the strongest backlash ever from within the DPP, observers said yesterday.

Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), a senior advisor to the president, said that Chen had been in such difficulties that he had planned to reach out to former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) for help at yesterday's gathering for the Association of Ilan County Residents in Taipei (宜蘭縣旅北同鄉會) but Lin did not attend the event.

"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 (洪奇昌) said, adding that Chen needed a prestigious former chairman like Lin to secure his political position in the party.

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 (張俊雄), urging the government to stand up for the Cabinet's decision and support the party's long-held ideal of making Taiwan nuclear-free.

DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) has even threatened to quit his post if the Cabinet reverses its decision.

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 (陳文茜), once said that, judging from Chen's leadership style, she believed he was susceptible to a compromise on the plant.

"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.