PFP stands behind Soong's 2004 bid

The PFP yesterday urged party chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) to make his bid for the presidency, stressing that opinion polls and public debate are crucial elements in deciding who should lead the pan-blue campaign ticket.

Dismissing rumors that Soong might back out of the presidential election and focus on landing the premiership, PFP spokesman Hsieh Kong-ping (謝公秉) said that "all PFP members are behind Soong's bid to run in the presidential election."

Hsieh also called on KMT leaders to soothe dissenting voices within its party in response to the KMT's recent appeal to support a Lien-Soong candidacy for the 2004 presidential election,

"We do not wish to meddle in [the KMT's] internal affairs. We just think that the KMT should work to forge an internal consensus," Hsieh said.

Debate over who will head the ticket has been causing problems since KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong pledged last month to field a joint ticket for next year's presidential election.

A number of KMT officials and pro-localization party legislators on Friday suggested that the party should consider fielding an all-KMT ticket featuring younger stars in the party such as Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) if the proposal for a joint KMT-PFP ticket can't be finalized in the near future.

Dismissing rumors that Soong might back out of the presidential election and focus on landing the premiership, Hsieh said that "all PFP members are behind Soong's bid to run in the presidential election."

Hsieh added that further developments in KMT-PFP cooperation will be decided after next week's meeting between Lien and Soong.

Lien and Soong are scheduled to meet before the Lantern Festival next Saturday to discuss details regarding party cooperation.

The deputy convener of the PFP legislative caucus, Chiu Yi (邱毅), said yesterday that he supports his party's suggestion to conduct three rounds of debate and polls to determine who should be picked as a candidate.

"KMT-PFP cooperation is the desire of the public and cooperation should be built on democratic means," Chiu said. "If the cooperation of the two parties were to be confined to just private meetings between Lien and Soong, then the public will be left with the impression that KMT-PFP cooperation is made up of closed-door politics."

At a post-Lunar New Year gathering held at KMT headquarters yesterday, both Lien and KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) refused to comment on whether Lien would share the ticket with Soong. They also refused to answer questions that were related to the inter-party cooperation.

When asked to comment on the possibility of a Lien-Soong ticket, KMT Vice Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said that it is the one combination that would meet with the less dissent.

"However, if both Lien and Soong reach a consensus to not rule out other combinations of candidates, then I think that is a good thing as well," Wu said, adding that he believes both Lien and Soong will be able to work out who should run.