Pan-blues concerned about the effects of human chain

Members of the Chinese Nation-alist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance have expressed guarded concern about the possible effects Saturday's 228 Hand-in-Hand human chain rally might have on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election bid.

"The hand-in-hand rally has obviously boosted [the pan-green camp's] spirit," said PFP lawmaker Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國), who also serves as the alliance's campaign spokesman.

Pang said that the large number of people taking part in the rally has "incited the pan-blue camp's crisis consciousness."

According to organizers of the rally, at least 2 million people participated in the 487km-long human chain, which extended from the northern port of Keelung to Pingtung County in the south.

Noting that the rally had successfully demonstrated the DPP's ability to mobilize the public, KMT Legislator Hsu Chung-hsiung (徐中雄) said he doubted that this would have a noticeable effect in the election.

"I wonder how long the passion will last," Hsu said.

He added that he did not think Saturday's rally would have much effect in swaying undecided voters, "because, after all, the Chen administration has no governing record."

KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) said that the rally brought people together who are already pan-green supporters, and did not have much of an effect on undecided voters.

In contrast to the optimism of fellow pan-blue camp members, PFP Legislator Liu Sung-pan (劉松藩) said that it would probably take six to eight days for the effect of the rally to sink in, and that it would only then be possible to judge its effect on the pan-blue campaign.

PFP caucus leader Chou His-wei (周錫瑋), who also serves as the deputy director of the alliance's policy department, said that the pan-blue camp would readjust its campaign strategy in the time remaining until the March 20 election to avoid losing further momentum to the DPP's efforts.

The alliance is slated to kick off a series of large-scale campaign rallies starting on March 13, when two campaign rallies are to be held at as yet undisclosed locations.

On the last two nights before the election, two big campaign rallies are planned in the north and south of the country to boost the chances of the pan-blue candidates, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and his running mate, PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

"We believe that big campaign rallies in the last seven to eight days before the election would release our campaign's full potential," Pang said.