KMT shies away from kicking out former president

KMT top dogs were quiet yesterday on whether to expel former chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who has lent his support to a new political group likely to siphon off votes from the former ruling party.

"Clear the party of the cancerous tumor to promise the KMT a prosperous future," diehard pro-unification KMT members shouted outside where the party's 16th national congress was meeting yesterday.

But most of the party's core members and representatives attending the party congress yesterday said they either opposed ousting Lee or had nothing to say on the matter.

Some members fear that expelling Lee would simply make him more popular among the rank and file and anger Lee's supporters within the party.

Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正), the party's secretary-general, said the KMT leadership was concerned about keeping the party together.

"Unity is currently the primary pursuit of the congress and the party," said Hsu Li-teh (徐立德), a former vice premier and a member of the party's central standing committee.

"I don't consider Lee's expulsion compatible with such a pursuit."

Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), one of the five sitting vice chairpersons of the party, said the KMT was open to the discussion of any issue.

Taipei Mayor and central standing committee member Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) shared Siew's view, and tried to shrug off the dispute.

Ma said the congress welcomes all discussion on any matter, and that there was no need to overreact to any issue.

"There is still room to discuss whether to expel Lee," the mayor said.

Pro-Lee legislator Hong Hsing-jung (洪性榮) said yesterday that it was the pro-Taiwan members rather than the pro-China members that mattered most to the party.

Hong also had harsh words for Liang Su-yung (梁肅戎), a former legislative speaker who had called for Lee's dismissal.

"Pro-unification votes have been taken by the PFP and the New Party," Hong said. "Liang simply cannot understand how fierce the grassroots [pro-Taiwan] campaign is."

Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英), chairman of the China Development Industrial Bank and a Central Standing Committee member known for his close ties to Lee, came to the former president's defense yesterday.

"It's very impolite to discuss whether to expel Lee, as he has made great contributions to the party and the country," Liu said.