The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislative caucus yesterday accused the New Party of trying to achieve its goal of reunification by having its candidates for the year-end legislative elections run under the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) banner.
Three days ago New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) indicated that there was the possibility that the party's eight candidates would register under the KMT as a starting point for a merger.
The announcement ruffled some feathers within the pan-blue camp -- while the KMT gave a moderate welcome to the possibility, the People First Party (PFP) was less than happy about the idea -- apparently worried that the New Party move would place full responsibility for a merger on the PFP.
"If the New Party is coming back to the KMT, the KMT has no reason to reject that. But if its candidates plan to register under the KMT, they need to obtain membership in the party first," KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), another KMT vice chairman, was more enthusiastic yesterday about the possibility.
"I would be happy to see the New Party's candidates running in the election as KMT candidates because the integrity and unity of the KMT, the PFP and the New Party are what all pan-blue supporters are looking forward to," Ma said.
The PFP, however, has been less welcoming.
"It is certain that the pan-blue camp will merge at some point and [PFP] Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) announced that the merger would begin next February. But now the New Party is saying all pan-blue camp candidates should register under the KMT, and this is only creating conflicts inside the camp. Why should the New Party act like this?" PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the TSU has wasted no time trying to encourage rifts in the pan-blue camp.
"The New Party's Constitution stipulates very clearly that it will pursue reunification. Now, as a dying party, it wants to try to keep itself alive under the KMT's name, and continues to pursue its goal," TSU caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said.
"The KMT should explain to the public the direction it is heading toward instead of trying to disguise itself as a pro-localization party while acting otherwise and deceiving voters," Chen said.
In related news, the PFP said yesterday that it would move its headquarters into the KMT's Pateh Building, which served as the pan-blue's campaign headquarters during the presidential election campaign. The PFP said it would make the move after its lease runs out at the end of the year. It had earlier sought the KMT's help in finding a new headquarters and the KMT had promised to lease it one of its buildings.
The head of the KMT's Administration and Management Committee, Chang Che-shen (張哲琛), half-jokingly suggested that the PFP move into KMT headquarters since there was still much space in the building and the two parties planned to merge anyway.
The KMT is not using the Pateh Building at present.
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