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KMT bans officials from visiting China ahead of election

The legislative caucus of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has ordered all party lawmakers to refrain from visiting China, Hong Kong and Macau in the run up to the presidential election in order to avoid being branded pro-Beijing by rivals.

According to sources close to the KMT legislative caucus, the directive was issued shortly after Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came under fire after quoting press reports during a recent Cabinet meeting as saying that the legitimacy of a referendum set to be held by next March 20 was likened by China-based Taiwanese businessmen to the Cultural Revolution. Ma also doubles as KMT vice chairman.

KMT Legislator Chang Chang-tsai (張昌財), who also serves as secretary-general of a club of friends of Taiwanese businessmen worldwide set up in the Legislative Yuan, claimed that all KMT lawmakers understand the stance of the party's legislative caucus and are willing to comply with its directive.

To avoid being denounced as communist Chinese "fellow travelers," Chang said, his organization has decided to invite President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) to address a world congress of Taiwanese businessmen to be held Oct. 5 in Taipei under the auspices of the club.

When KMT and PFP legislators make fact-finding visits to China, their main objective is to offer services to Taiwanese manufacturers with operations in China, Chang said, adding that such lawmakers play a pivotal role in transmitting China-based Taiwanese entrepreneurs' expectations or proposals to the authorities in Taipei and Beijing.

However, Chang noted that with the approach of next year's presidential race, KMT and PFP legislators should be on guard against being branded as pro-communist by their election rivals.

What began last Wednesday as a debate on the legitimacy of a referendum scheduled to be held either before or concurrently with the presidential election degenerated into a dispute between Executive Yuan spokesman Lin Chia-lung and Mayor Ma over whether or not the spokesman correctly quoted Ma after a Cabinet conference.

Claiming that he gave a faithful description of the fierce debate between Ma and other Cabinet members, Lin said he will take legal action against Ma, if necessary, to defend the Executive Yuan's image and his personal integrity.

He replayed part of a tape recording of the meeting to demonstrate that Ma likened a referendum without legal basis to the disastrous Cultural Revolution in China during the 1960s.

For his part, Ma denied the accusation and called on the Executive Yuan to release the entire recording of the conference rather than just the 20 seconds produced by Lin, as he claimed the small snippet fails to give the public the correct overall view of the proceedings.
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