Parties show tepid reaction to Chen's economic forum

During an election year, any hope of reconciliation between the ruling and the opposition parties may prove elusive.

True to its word, the Presidential Office is organizing a preparatory forum on Sunday afternoon to pave the way for the establishment of a cross-party economic task force, an idea floated by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last month. Chen intends personally to marshal efforts to reverse the economic slowdown by creating an economic advisory panel under the Presidential Office.

To that end, he is again reaching out to the opposition in the hope of easing the crisis of confidence triggered partly by sustained partisan feuding.

But thus far, only DPP Secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) has agreed to take part in the cross-party meeting to be hosted by top presidential aide Yu Shyi-kun at the Taipei Guest House.

His counterparts from the three main opposition parties, while receptive to the invitation, are hesitant to attend the forum personally, suspicious of ulterior motives on the part of Chen and the ruling DPP. "The party has not decided on a delegate yet," a KMT official said yesterday on condition of anonymity, countering news reports that KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) was to attend on the party's behalf.

Earlier in the day, the main opposition party released a statement warning against "mixing politics with the economy."

"The government must not seek to solve economic problems through political means," said the statement, adding that the KMT opposes the proposed economic task force becoming a body with regular meetings, in violation of the constitutional design.

"Such a panel would inevitably encroach on the Ministries of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Council of Economic Planning and Development under the Cabinet," the KMT official said.

Both the People First Party and the New Party voiced similar views.

Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), a pro-PFP academic who is eyeing a legislative seat in Taipei in December, said it would be better for the party to send a financial expert to the cross-party forum.

Wary of publicity, the PFP headquarters would not even promise attendance at the negotiating table.

"The party prefers having its voice heard through conventional channels -- meetings convened by the finance and economic ministries," a PFP official said.

He urged related agencies to hire more experts if the country suffered from inadequate talent.

"Advice gathered outside the regular mechanism has little chance of being implemented," the PFP official said.

In a show of unison, the tiny New Party would not reveal who will attend the Sunday meeting, although its secretary-general Lee Bin-nan (李炳南) had earlier agreed to show up in person.

"We endorse any government effort to save the economy, although the forthcoming event reeks of politics," Lee said during a symposium in Taipei yesterday morning.

He portrayed the reconciliatory scheme as politically astute, as polls rank opposition resistance as the major contributor to Chen's lackluster showing.

The president first sought last year to reconcile with rival parties which together control a two-thirds majority in the legislature.

However, the bid soon fizzled after the Cabinet announced the cancellation of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project last October after of a meeting between Chen and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰).