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Chen to ignore opposition critics

President Chen Shui-bian, center, Vice President Annette Lu, second right, Premier Yu Shyi-kun, second left, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung, left, and the convener of the DPP's legislative caucus, Ker Chien-ming, join hands yesterday at a ceremony to wish the nation good luck in the Year of the Goat. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) says he will not be bothered by campaign issues raised by the opposition in the final year of his term, but will concentrate instead on the government's reform drive, reviving the economy and elevating democracy.

Chen said yesterday that since the people still have high expectations of the DPP, the party should compete with the opposition parties on "determination on reform, not the sharpness of tongues."

In his role as DPP chairman, Chen joined 1,000 government and party officials at a Lunar New Year celebration -- an event apparently timed to compete with yesterday's meeting between KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), which had attracted widespread media coverage.

While the opposition parties appear to be preparing for next year's election by consolidating their strength, the DPP has yet to decide who will be on the ticket with Chen.

In a bid to reassure voters, Chen yesterday reminded DPP members to keep the people's expectations in mind, strive to improve the people's lives and "not to panic over disturbances from the outside."

Chen reiterated that it is a misconception to believe that opening the country further to the Chinese market will be an economic elixir -- a point he has stressed in several recent speeches.

"The issue is not that simple," he said.

He said the core of cross-strait relations is national security and peace between the two sides.

"As long as Taiwan's security can be assured, the two sides of the [Taiwan] Strait can build up a peaceful and stable interaction. Then the mutual economic barriers should be automatically eliminated," he said.

Meanwhile, the DPP yesterday questioned the reasons for a Lien-Soong pact, saying a ruling party should not exist solely to share power or because one person wants to be president.

DPP officials said the party would welcome the opposition coalition for the sake of positive partisan competition, but they cast doubt on the true motives for Lien and Soong's alliance.

They noted that PFP officials have often attacked the KMT for its corruption, while the KMT has ridiculed the PFP as a one-person party.

DPP officials said they wondered if this kind of criticism has ended. Otherwise, they said, the coalition is simply another form of political carpetbagging.

They also said they fear such an alliance would lead the nation into disaster if either party fails to honor its promises if they gain power.

However, one senior DPP official has found something positive in the Lien-Soong link-up.

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that if Lien and Soong could reach a rapprochement after years of personal discord, then there was hope that two founding members of the DPP could be reconciled with the party.

"Come back Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) and Shih Ming-teh (施明德)," said Lu.

Hsu left the DPP in 2000 when he insisted on running as a candidate in that year's presidential election after the party nominated Chen to run.

Shih later quit the party in a gesture of support for Hsu.
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