Sat, Feb 14, 2004 page3

• Lien prepared to demonstrate his mettle

  STEPPING OUT Campaign aides say the KMT chief is more than ready to dispel the notion that he can't mix it with the president in an unrehearsed, live forum

  • By Huang Tai-lin / STAFF REPORTER
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  On the eve of the nation's first-ever televised presidential debate, a pan-blue camp task force made up of think-tank members, acade-mics, specialists and legislators last night came together to compile electoral data for Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan (連戰).

  The debate will take place this afternoon, with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Lien sharing the stage and telling a national audience what they stand for and why they are worth voting for.

  According to pan-blue alliance campaign spokesman Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國), Lien's campaign aides immediately immersed themselves in various tasks gathering data, compiling mock questions and other work when the agreement was reached last Sunday to hold the debate today.

  Campaign aides said yesterday that Lien had adjusted his packed schedule to prepare for today's public head-to-head with Chen.

  Lien's preparation for the debate included analysis of questions and style of answers as well as managing time.

  Lien has also been consulting with Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is the manager of the alliance's national campaign headquarters and boasts considerable experience in televised debates.

  After only a few days of preparation, Pang said that Lien's debating skills were "getting better and better."

  While acknowledging that Chen was "a skilled debater," KMT Legislator Yu Tzu-shiang (游梓翔), who also serves as a campaign aide for the pan-blue camp, believed that the alliance's presidential hopeful would succeed "by speaking from his heart."

  "Lien might not appear as skillful a debater in comparison to Chen, who is experienced in these things," Yu said.

  "But it is exactly for this reason that Lien will work to differentiate himself from such a skillful debater, and show himself to be not just someone prone to yelling out slogans and doing nothing," he said.

  Noting that Lien did not require too much "special practice," Yu said that what the pan-blue camp aimed to present was "Lien's mature characteristics."

  "During the debate, Lien will aim to display his character -- stable and calm -- while at the same time demonstrate his command of the issues at hand," Yu added.

  In response to doubts that Lien would not score as high as Chen answering questions without notice, Yu said that "the pan-blue camp believes that the people of Taiwan would want to have a national leader who is poised, mature and stable and not just someone who is good at calling out

  slogans."

  Adding that Lien possessed comprehensive experience in administration, Yu said that Lien would not have difficulty in taking command of policy issues in today's debate.

  Lien's running mate, People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will today proceed with a visit to grass-roots voters in Changhua.

  Also see story:

  Historic presidential debate will offer simultaneous translation into Hakka
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