Two of Taipei's KMT legislative candidates yesterday launched a movement which will push for cooperation between the KMT and DPP "to rescue Taiwan."
Lawmaker Chen Horng-chi (
But KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) reacted to the move by reiterating that the party will not discuss the issue of political cooperation before the election.
Lin added that, even if the party is to cooperate with another party after the elections, it will pick one whose ideology is "close to the KMT's."
Lin said the proposal put forth by the two politicians is their "personal opinion."
According to Lin, the two candidates probably started the movement because their support bases overlap with those of their DPP competitors and that this situation probably poses a threat to their campaigns.
Chen Horng-chi and Chen Hsueh-fen are running for legislative seats in the Taipei II and Taipei I constituencies, respectively. They proposed the alliance idea in an advertisement published in a local newspaper yesterday.
They urged people to show their support for the proposal by joining a rally which will be held on Nov. 25 at the square in front of the Presidential Office.
Chen Horng-chi told reporters that the ad aims to remind political leaders to restrain their use of abusive campaign language during the run-up to the election, saying such language may damage any chances of reconciliation and negotiation after the elections.
"Taiwan's only chance at survival lies in getting the two largest parties -- the KMT and DPP -- work together to form a `super-stable Cabinet.' Only a strong government can resist the Chinese communists' intimidation tactics, tackle the economic crisis and restore the public's faith in government," the two candidates argue in the ad.
They say it is generally predicted that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will ally with the TSU -- led by former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- after the elections. Likewise, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) will probably team up with former party stalwart and now PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The two rival political camps are vying for the right to form the the next Cabinet, and the outcome may be decided by only a marginal one-seat difference, according to the two candidates.
"Can such a `Cabinet of chance' work? Will the defeated camp accept the outcome willingly? It will only result in crazy, vicious struggles and irrational acts of revenge," they said.
PFP Chairman James Soong yesterday said that he was "not surprised" to hear such a proposal, as DPP Secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) has already disclosed that around 10 KMT politicians will resign from the party and join the DPP after the election results are formalized.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS