Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday expressed her willingness to have a TV debate with her pan-blue counterpart, vice presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) campaign headquarters will negotiate with the pan-blue camp today about the arrangements for holding TV debates between both camps' presidential candidates, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰).
PHOTO: YEH CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Lu yesterday urged the DPP headquarters to help her arrange a vice-presidential candidate TV debate.
"While the public is accusing both camps of running a negative campaign and urges all candidates to set a good example while campaigning, I must stress that I am the only one who continues to promote policies concerning the nation's future," Lu said yesterday during the launch of her new book, The Great Future of Taiwan.
"It seems that everyone just forgets about me and my efforts to establish a clean, esteemed and honorable campaign has been completely ignored by the media, which just want to grab sensational and dirty issues."
"So, I am expecting that the media now will facilitate the opportunity to allow I and Mr. Soong to expound our ideas and visions," she said.
Lu said that the Central Election Committee only arranged a TV speech for the two vice-presidential candidates on Feb. 28, which is the day she and all DPP members will join the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) "1 million hand-in-hand" effort.
"I hope that the committee will be understanding and postpone the TV speech to the next day," she said.
During yesterday's conference, Lu again advocated creating a Democratic Pacific Union and enhancing the development of an "ocean culture" by uniting the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
She said that Taiwan's "soft power," which integrates Taiwan's outstanding achievements in technology, democracy, human rights and especially maintaining peace despite China's long-term military threats, are the best weapons to use against the Beijing authority's "Great China Empire" intentions.
Asking to comment on whether the international community's concern about President Chen's referendum plan will benefit the DPP's campaign or not, Lu said that the trend of internationalization of the "Taiwan issue" or the "cross-strait issue" will help maintain Taiwan's security.
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