Sat, Jan 08, 2005 page3

• DPP criticizes Lee Wen-chung

  `GOODWILL' INDEED A number of senior Democratic Progressive Party officials attacked the legislator for his efforts to generate cooperation with the People First Party

  • By Jewel Huang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Several high-ranking Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday continued to slam DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung's (李文忠) idea of revoking the party's "Taiwan independence clause" which Lee said that it would streamline cooperation with the People First Party (PFP).

  Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said the "Resolution on Taiwan's Future" drafted in 1999 has the effect of blocking the party's "Taiwan Independence clause," and urged DPP members to seek interparty cooperation.

  DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said that Lee Wen-chung's "goodwill" would turn out to be an obstacle to cooperation between the DPP and the PFP, since there was a strong voice in the PFP which opposed cooperation with the governing party.

  "As far as I know, a significant number of PFP members oppose cooperation with the DPP and they want to manipulate the DPP and make it abandon its basic line, which is impossible for us," Lee Chun-yee said.

  "Lee Wen-chung's words would only be a catalyst to such a scenario," he added.

  DPP New Tide faction (新潮流) stalwart Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) also snapped at Lee's idea, saying that it didn't make any sense to impose "censorship" on each party's political ideals in order for cooperation to be successful.

  "If `goodwill' means to ask people to give up their principles, such goodwill is only a product of the autocratic era," Lin said.

  Lee Wen-chung is one member of the New Tide faction, which is known for its creation of new political theories for the party.

  The office of the New Tide faction yesterday afternoon issued a press release to counter Lee's remarks, saying the it felt sorry that he expressed such an idea without first consulting members of the faction.

  "The New Tide faction was an important participant in drafting party programs that are related to issues of cross-strait relations, and those guidelines were also the common view of the party rank and file," the press release said.

  DPP Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨) also criticized Lee, saying that some members utilized the party's program to attract those parties that advocate unification with China.

  Despite the chorus of criticism, Lee Wen-chung yesterday insisted that the DPP should relinquish its "Taiwan Independence clause," and the PFP should drop out its "one-China roof" principle -- the product of PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

  In other news, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator yesterday strongly opposed the PFP's Taiwan peace law (促進海峽兩岸和平法), which will be reviewed next Wednesday.

  TSU Legislator Cheng Cheng-lung (程振隆) said "the DPP's attitude to the Taiwan Peace Law just intends to form a false impression that the governing party is working with the opposition party. It undermines the people's right of self-determination," he said.
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