KMT denies defections imminent

KMT politicians including county commissioners-elect and legislators-elect have been in contact with the People First Party over the past week, with the intent to defect, a local evening newspaper cited an unnamed "high-ranking" KMT source as saying yesterday.

But both the KMT and PFP denied the report.

KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said only Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and himself can be considered "high-ranking" officials of the party, but that neither had heard of planned defections.

PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) meanwhile said his party had not taken initiative to contact the KMT politicians or forged any plan to recruit people to join the party.

Soong, however, admitted that some KMT county commissioners-elect had visited him to express their gratitude for the PFP's support during the run-up to the elections.

Soong said he had urged the visiting county commissioners-elect to administrate their respective counties without party and ethnic bias, but that he had not attempted to influence their future selection of deputies.

According to the report, the secret maneuvering -- which allegedly started immediately after the KMT's failure and the PFP's victory in the Dec. 1 elections -- was expected to lead to drastic changes in the two parties.

During their talks with the PFP, some of the concerned county commissioners-elect had allegedly requested the party's advice regarding personnel appointments for their future administration and the nomination of candidates for the upcoming county and city councils elections, the report said.

Of the KMT legislators-elect who had contacted the PFP, some expressed their wish to join the PFP legislative caucus immediately and others planned to change their party affiliation after taking office in February, the report said.

In light of the KMT's severe loss of legislative seats in Taipei and Kaohsiung Cities, the report said, some KMT politicians who were interested in running in the elections for Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils set for late next year had approached the PFP for opportunities to run under its banner.

A similar movement had also taken place among politicians intending to run in the January elections for chiefs of townships and counties, according to the report.

During a meeting with Lien last week, some of the KMT county commissioners-elect had urged Lien not to run for the 2004 presidency, the report said.

The county commissioners-elect visited the PFP after that and relayed their opinions to PFP leaders, according to the report.