Taipei Times: Is there still room for cooperation between the KMT and the People First Party? Will you consider playing second fiddle to keep the cross-party cooperation alive?
Lin Jih-jia (
Chin Chin-sheng (
Still, the PFP and KMT must join forces in order to beat the DPP in the year-end elections. To that end, I would not reject a running mate recommended by the KMT.
TT: What is the prospect of a bipartisan venture now that both parties have named their own candidate?
Lin: I'm upbeat that the KMT and PFP will put up a united front in the end. Whichever party causes the venture to fall apart will be blamed by our joint supporters. I'll visit Chin today [yesterday] or tomorrow in the hope of removing obstacles to the KMT-PFP cooperation. If Chin dislikes opinion polls, let him propose an alternative measure so we can discuss the matter.
Chin: The KMT-PFP cooperation is not yet dead. I believe leaders from both parties have the wisdom to iron out their differences. Surely, they will take public opinion into consideration before making a final decision. Past elections show a great many voters tend to dump a candidate in favor of another who is "winnable." Lin is not considered promising by many.
TT: If elected, how will you address the dispute over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant?
Lin: I have always backed the construction of the power plant, and I will allow it to operate when the project is completed. It makes no sense to spend huge amounts of money on a project and then set it aside for political reasons.
Chin: To me, the fate of the power plant has been sealed. I will not endorse proposals, such as a referendum, to reignite the controversy. However, I'll listen to the complaints likely to be raised by the residents of Kungliao [the site of the power plant] and try to defuse their resistance the best I can.
TT: Pundits have dubbed incumbent Commissioner Su Chen-Chang (
Lin: Certainly Su has his merits, but I would not say he is invincible. The opposition alliance stands a good chance of victory in a two-way race. Past elections show that the DPP camp has difficulty polling more than 40 percent of the votes. After uniting the opposition alliance, I will focus my campaign on the city of Sanchung, visiting each house in the area, which I believe will be the decisive battlefield. As a resident there, I am confident I can take the DPP stronghold.
I may not be the most favored candidate for PFP or New Party supporters, but they will cast their vote for me if there is only one candidate representing the opposition alliance.
Chin: Su is diligent and good at political stunts but lacking in innovation. Four years into his term, he has yet to honor a great many campaign promises such as pushing for the upgrade of the county to a special municipality like Taipei City. Today, the standard of living for the county still lags far behind. It is time a different party takes control of Taipei County in line with the spirit of alternate rule. If unseated, Su may join the DPP government, which seriously suffers from a lack of talent.
TT: How much money will the campaign cost?
Lin: I will try to raise as many funds as possible in the run-up to the election. Also, the party will contribute to my war chest. I'm not worried about the issue because I don't think money will play a decisive factor in the outcome of the race.
Chin: Money is the main reason why I shunned putting up an aggressive campaign. Unlike the KMT, the PFP does not own any profit-making enterprises. I don't want to act as a panhandler, begging for funds from business groups in exchange for promises to return the favor in the future. The KMT-PFP cooperation, if it works out, will ease the financial burden. Still, it is possible to win the battle without a hefty treasury. The DPP, for instance, won a majority of the counties and cities in 1997 on a budget much smaller than that of the KMT.
TT: Mr Chin, is it true that Viola Chen (
Chin: Both Soong and his wife will absolutely help me win the election the best they can. Mrs Soong enjoys extensive support among grassroots voters. Her running would add at least 6 percent of the votes to my campaign. But I don't think it proper for me to press the request. Unlike the presidential election, candidates seeking the commissionership do not have to place the name of his would-be deputy on the ballot. So there is no hurry in deciding the matter.
TT: Mr Lin, will you go ahead and visit Soong to seek his backing?
Lin: I will seek to win support from all potential voters and Soong is definitely one of them. I will also try to win over the soon-to-be-formed Taiwan Solidarity Union and even the DPP.
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