KMT welcomes, DPP dismisses speech by Soong

The KMT yesterday welcomed a speech by PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) as a sign of goodwill, while the the DPP dismissed the opposition leader for failing to grasp the challenges facing the country.

PFP lawmakers, however, denied that Soong meant to stay on the sidelines of next year's presidential race when he said he would respect his KMT counterpart, Lien Chan (連戰), in a joint effort to unseat President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Soong, who narrowly lost the presidency to Chen in 2000, delivered a 90-minute address saying the KMT and the PFP must, and will, join forces in restoring economic prosperity to the country.

To that end, the former Taiwan provincial governor said he would "give up anything" to avoid disappointing supporters.

Analysts have said the two opposition parties, whose voter bases largely overlap, stand no chance of victory if they launch separate bids.

KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said later in the day he appreciated Soong's show of willingness to cooperate and that the KMT would respond favorably to his call for reform.

Noting that a Lien-Soong ticket was no guarantee of electoral triumph, Soong urged the KMT to continue the campaign to cast off its image of corruption.

Critics have branded the plan to cooperate as an opposition attempt to restore corrupt money politics, citing as evidence the tainted election of independent Kaohsiung City councilor Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄) as the council's speaker.

Chu, who has been indicted on vote-buying and fraud charges, won his speakership with the backing of KMT, PFP and independent colleagues.

Lin, however, shied away from conclusive statements, saying the final lineup would be discussed at the meeting between Lien and Soong tomorrow.

Armed with vast financial resources, the KMT has refused to play second fiddle even though its presidential nominee finished a distant third in 2000. Old guard party members such as former Control Yuan president Wang Tso-jung (王作榮) and former legislative speaker Liang Su-jung (梁肅戎) have pleaded with Soong to concede the presidential nomination to help preserve the KMT.

The party is in danger of disintegration if it fails to reclaim power from the DPP next year. Members sympathetic to former president and chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) stick with the KMT only to keep their political careers alive.

DPP lawmakers said Soong's address sounded like a declaration of his intention to run for vice president that was couched in flowery but empty terms.

"Titled `Soong's Vision for Taiwan,' the speech differed little from his past criticisms of the administration," DPP legislative whip Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. "He did not seem to realize the people are tired of partisan rivalry."

Chen added he regretted the lack of democratic process in the bipartisan effort to name a presidential candidate, referring to Soong's hinted exit.

In his speech, Soong asked his supporters not to block KMT-PFP cooperation, saying either he or Lien could run in the campaign but not both.

PFP Deputy Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) said Soong, by saying that, aimed once again to convey his goodwill to the KMT, nothing more.

Fellow PFP lawmaker Chiu Yi (邱毅) agreed, saying he hoped and believed Lien would reciprocate the conciliatory gesture.