Though losing Tuesday's showdown with the Cabinet over amendments to the nation's revenue allocation law, the KMT and PFP are looking to the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections and even the next attempt to amend the law as possibilities for continuing their cooperation.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
These include their joint effort to pass the amendments to the budget allocation law last month, their victory in the races for the legislative speakership and vice speakership on Feb. 1 and their efforts to try to uphold the amendments on Tuesday, Ma said.
He suggested that the year-end elections can be yet another occasion for KMT-PFP cooperation.
"Through one case of cooperation after another, the differences between the two sides will decrease while the factors of success will grow," Ma said.
Ma said he did not propose the cooperation to pave the way for his own re-election bid, but rather for the future development of both parties.
"Unless we cooperate with each other, neither of us will be able to accomplish our goals," Ma said.
To secure victory in both the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races, it has been proposed that the KMT support a PFP candidate in Kaohsiung in exchange for the latter's endorsement for Ma's re-election bid in Taipei.
Leaders of both parties, however, have so far not publicly discussed the issue.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday said the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections are the No. 1 priority on the party's political agenda.
Since there is already one "horse with enormous speed and staying power" in Taipei, Lien said, referring to Ma, the party will do its best to find another for Kao-hsiung, he said.
James Chen (
However, Chen said the KMT nominee would need to compare his or her approval rating with the PFP nominee in order to single out a joint candidate for both parties, so as to ensure a better prospect for them to beat the DPP incumbent, Frank Hsieh (
Meanwhile, on the legislature's decision to overturn amendments to the Law Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures, Lien said the outcome indicated a victory for the centralization of power and money and a loss for local governments.
Lien insisted that the amendments pushed through by the KMT and PFP were consistent with the prevailing public opinion that local governments should enjoy a higher degree of financial autonomy.
Ma, who proposed the January amendments and won PFP Chairman James Soong's (
The Executive Yuan is expected to send its proposed amendments to the legislature in three months now that the KMT-PFP-initiated amendments have been overturned.
Ma said the Taipei City Government would not accept the Executive Yuan's proposal unless it guarantees that the central government offer additional funding of at least NT$54.3 billion annually to local governments.
Also, the autonomous financial resources enjoyed by local governments should not be lower than 70 percent of their total annual budgets, he said.
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