Shih says he won't run with KMT's Huang

Independent candidate for the Kaohsiung mayoralty, Shih Ming-teh (施明德), yesterday rejected the possibility of becoming a running mate of KMT candidate Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), but said he may back out of the race if the opposition camp was able to agree on fielding a single candidate.

Shih said all the contestants must be prepared to quit the race in order to make the negotiation system work.

The former DPP chairman said he will not accept a "Huang-Shih ticket" because it is against political ethics, referring to the fact that he is far more senior than Huang in terms of his political credentials.

"It would be more appropriate if it were a `Shih-Huang ticket.' It would be a case of political absurdity if we were to form a `Huang-Shih ticket,' which is impossible," Shih said.

"If we have to take this path [of integration] in the end, of course I will back out," Shih added.

Among the three major challengers of Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Shih has gained the least support in opinion polls so far.

Though still lagging behind Hsieh by over 20 percentage points, Huang is the opposition candidate with the highest support rating, followed by Chang Po-ya (張博雅), another independent candidate.

But Chang has insisted on continuing her campaign. Chang dropped out of the negotiation system of the opposition camp in September because she questioned the fairness of the selection process.

Whether Shih would team up with Huang became a question of interest yesterday when the two candidates appeared simultaneously at the Legislative Yuan to lobby lawmakers to support a piece of legislation designed to develop Kaohsiung into a free port city enjoying a high degree of autonomy.

Shih has raised the bill and made the project one of his main campaign promises. Shih won the KMT's endorsement for the bill during a meeting with KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) last week.

Also during that meeting, Lien and Shih reached a consensus "not to present supporters with dividing choices" in the December poll, saying they would continue their integration effort.