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Legislature calls recess to allow stumping

The legislature called a week-long recess yesterday to allow lawmakers to stump for their party candidates for the Saturday's Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral and city councilor elections.

The KMT legislative caucus has urged all its members representing Taipei City and Taipei County to woo votes on behalf of incumbent Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in the run-up to the polls.

The rest of the 60-plus KMT lawmakers will lend their prestige to the party's Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) in an attempt to unseat DPP incumbent Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

KMT legislative whip Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) said that he and his family have been harassed by anonymous phone calls after he questioned Hsieh's ties to the business community.

The legislator accused Hsieh over the weekend of taking an NT$4.5 million check from key Zanadau shareholder Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍) back in 1994 as part of what he suspected was an influence-peddling scheme.

Su, who retains close ties with politicians of all stripes, denied making the donation a day later. The Hsieh camp has filed libel suits against Lee.

"Go ahead and threaten me anyway you like but leave my family and friends out of this controversy," Lee said.

He said aides and family members had received phone calls threatening to set fire to his office and to help buy coffins.

Lee vowed to publish more evidence to prove the existence of the transaction at issue and warned Hsieh to withdraw libel charges before 5pm yesterday.

He said a friend working at a bank tipped him off about the questionable exchange.

"I will sue Hsieh for making false charges if he refuses to make amends," Lee said, whose party is pegging the mayoral elections as a warm-up campaign to reclaim the presidency in 2004.

The KMT has focused the bulk of its energy and resources on the Kaohsiung race as Ma enjoys a comfortable lead against his DPP challenger.

Senior KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and others KMT lawmakers have taken important posts at Huang Jun-ying's campaign office.

Polls show Huang Jun-ying is running neck and neck against Hsieh after the PFP threw its support behind the KMT flag-bearer.

It is not uncommon for candidates and aides to level unfounded charges against rival camps in the hope of ruining their electoral bids.

Defending his character, Hsieh later in the day dismissed Lee Chuan-chia's political sideshow.

"I don't see why he chose to cry in front of the press since he is so fond of smear campaigns," Hsieh said.

He again denied knowing Su and challenged his accuser not to abuse his freedom of speech.
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