KMT wants Huang in Kaohsiung

The KMT yesterday selected Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), former deputy mayor of Kaohsiung, as its contestant to vie to become the KMT-PFP joint candidate for Kaohsiung mayor.

Huang is in competition with PFP's pick, its vice chairman, Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄).

KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said his party will negotiate with the PFP as soon as possible, in the hopes that the joint candidate could be determined by mid-August.

"We hope very much that Huang Jun-ying will win the support of the PFP and represent the two parties to run in the race," Lin said.

Vice president of I-Shou University and a professor of business administration, the 61-year-old Huang is more an academic than politician.

Huang taught at National Chengchi University, California State Polytechnic University and National Sun Yat-sen University before joining the faculty of I-Shou University.

His political credentials include serving as the deputy mayor of Kaohsiung from 1995 to 1998 and 10 years as vice chairman of the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission from 1979 to 1987.

The KMT has favored Huang Jun-ying over two other aspirants -- Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Huang Chi-chuan (黃啟川) and former National Police Administration Director-general Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) -- despite his low approval rating in public polls.

The party spent much time over the past weeks persuading Huang Chi-chuan and Yao to drop their bids so they could wrap up the selection process yesterday.

According to Lin, the decision, which was made after a long period of negotiations, was one that transcended the confines of local political factions and yet took into account the possible development of the campaign.

Lin urged Huang Chi-chuan, Yao and their supporters to back up the party's decision in the interests of the party and for the sake of the future development of Kaohsiung.

Unveiling his campaign platform yesterday, Huang Jun-ying pledged to form a professional administration to develop Kaohsiung into a free port with a strong industrial infrastructure, a prosperous city with an energetic population and a charming city with a pleasant environment.

Of his low approval rating, Huang said this was "reasonable" because he had not appeared in local political scene and enjoyed little media exposure over the past few years.

Huang was upbeat that his approval rating would continue to grow after he officially joined the campaign, in light of the fact that the rating has risen to 20 percent in a poll released two days ago from 0.8 percent a few months ago.

PFP Secretary-General David Chung (鍾榮吉) yesterday said he respects the KMT's decision to recommend Huang for the race.

Chung, however, proposed that the KMT join the PFP to establish a "Kaohsiung new hope alliance" to react to Kaohsiung residents' anticipation to find a mayor better than the DPP incumbent Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

Chung explained that the purpose of such an alliance would be to unite all forces outside the DPP to win the election.