Alliance between the KMT and PFP hangs by a thread

KMT lawmaker Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) will represent the party in the Taipei County commissioner's race, the party said yesterday -- a move that threatens the fragile alliance between the KMT and People First Party.

The two parties had agreed earlier that the PFP would be the sole opposition party to contest the seat, currently held by the DPP's Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌).

"The Central Standing Committee has agreed to Lin's running in the election for Taipei County commissioner," Chao Shou-po (趙守博), the head of the KMT's organization department, said yesterday. "Lin will put an all-out effort into the campaign in the run-up to the election."

The two parties said earlier that the KMT would sit on the sidelines of the race, allowing the PFP candidate a better chance of winning against Su.

"The KMT is to blame if the cross-party venture falls apart," PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping (謝公秉) said, dismissing suggestions the party would play second fiddle on the ticket.

"The party will nominate its own candidate," Hsieh said, adding that Lin wouldn't be able to win over PFP supporters.

Lin, a five-term lawmaker, appeared upbeat yesterday, although he foresaw a tough campaign ahead.

"Many obstacles remain, although quite a few of them have been removed," Lin said.

He has long eyed the nomination and threatened to repeat a maverick campaign if the party insisted on passing him over again.

In the 1997 election, Lin broke ranks with the KMT to run for Taipei County commissioner as an independent and pulled in more than 150,000 votes.

His candidacy was believed to be the major reason for the DPP's victory. The KMT's candidate lost by less than 30,000 votes.

In a show of reconciliation, Lin offered an apology for any harm done to the party, which reinstated his membership in 1999. He also pledged to seek understanding from the opposition alliance, saying that if the two failed to join forces, neither would have a chance to succeed.

Aware of the odds, the KMT has agreed to give the counties of Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taitung to the PFP in exchange for Taoyuan, Tainan and Penghu counties.

The planned cooperation in Taipei County -- the largest constituency -- is widely seen as a test of whether the two can successfully join forces in the fight against the DPP.

KMT Secretary-general Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said he met with his PFP counterpart David Chung (鍾榮吉) for four hours on Tuesday evening. Lin said the PFP implied that it wouldn't boycott Lin Jih-jia.

The PFP has said its supporters won't accept Lin Jih-jia, who earlier accused former justice minister Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪) of holding out for NT$365 million in campaign funds before promising to stand in the commissioner's race.

The PFP has been unable to find a candidate since Liao disappointed the alliance and turned down the offer earlier this month, Lin Fong-cheng said.

Also, incumbent Su has visited the townships of Taipei County several times, whereas the KMT has yet to make any move.

PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has yet to break his silence.