DPP says cooperating with PFP is definitely possible

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday said that the DPP would not rule out the possibility of cooperating with the People First Party (PFP).

"We will not rule out any possibilities ? like [PFP] Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said, [we] share similar intentions, especially in terms of issues concerning people's livelihoods and political stability," Chang said. He was mobbed by the press for comments yesterday prior to attending a tea party at the Presidential Office.

The tea party, hosted by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), was held to provide a meeting venue for the pan-green camp's newly elected legislators. Chang said he attended the event in his capacity as a DPP legislator-at-large.

Approximately 31 pan-green legislators attended the event yesterday, including a few from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

During the event, a number of new legislators expressed their support for possible DPP-PFP cooperation, as long as the process and negotiations remain open and transparent.

Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), repre-senting the DPP in the Taipei City constituency, said that according to his understanding through interaction with the grassroots, pan-green supporters are not objecting to any cooperation between the DPP and the PFP.

Hsu dismissed concerns that the DPP would lose its political ideals should it cooperate with the PFP, which is known for its pro-unification stance.

"We should be confident in ourselves and in our beliefs," Hsu said.

"Although the DPP and the PFP have different ideologies, the DPP, having been founded 18 years ago, should not worry about its long-term ideologies being obscured or narrowed by the PFP," he said.

Echoing Hsu's remarks on the feasibility of DPP-PFP cooperation, Wang Shih-chien (王世堅), a Taipei City councilor representing a constituency in Taipei City, said that DPP-PFP cooperation should only be considered in terms of tackling policies concerning all people's livelihoods and not issues of personnel.

"On the basis of a moral stance, the DPP could cooperate with the PFP in terms of issues concerning people's welfare," Wang said.

"The DPP should however avoid cooperation with the PFP in terms of personnel matters, because it then would be perceived by the public as a divvying up of office space," he said.

Chuang Suo-han (莊碩漢), representing a DPP constituency in Taipei County, said that the message from the result of the Dec. 11 election was clear: inter-party cooperation.

"The result was the people's way of forcing all political parties to seek ways to resolve deadlocks," Chuang said.

Kuan Pi-ling (管碧玲), elected for the first time and representing a DPP constituency in Kaohsiung City, said that "the DPP need not dwell on the idea of cooperating with one specific party in the long term.

"The DPP should instead take on a more flexible approach and seek cooperation with different parties, according to different tasks at hand," said Kuan, who formerly served as Kaohsiung City Government spokeswoman.

In her address to the group, Lu reminded the newly elected leg-islators of the load of responsibility they have to carry when the new legislature convenes in February.

Stating that Taiwan will in the coming three years face global, domestic and social challenges, Lu expressed the hope that the legislators will not fail in people's expectations to better develop the nation and shape its values when deliberating on new laws or amending old ones.