KMT warns DPP over new Cabinet

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday warned the president against appointing an all Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Cabinet as it reaffirmed its pan-blue ticket for the upcoming legislative speaker race, KMT caucus whip Tseng Yuan-chuan (曾永權) said yesterday.

Tseng also said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should not nominate a DPP-only Cabinet because the Constitution stipulated the congressional majority should form the Cabinet.

He added that should a DPP-only Cabinet be formed, the governing party would have to take full responsibility for any future legislative failures.

"It is the constitutional spirit for the legislative majority to form the government, and if Chen insists on not following the constitution and forms a minority government, that government would certainly fail to smooth over the tension in cross-strait relations. The DPP and Chen would have to be fully responsible for that," Tseng said.

Tseng said that earlier when the KMT recommended Deputy Legislative Speaker Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) for the premiership, it was because the KMT hoped the president would respect the "constitutional spirit" and the fact that the pan-blue camp won a majority in the legislature.

Tseng also said a KMT-PFP ticket was emerging in the speakership race, although the ticket would be officially sanctioned only after the two party chairmen met.

According to Tseng, PFP director of policy research Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) called him two days ago in the hope of forming a joint campaign task force, and Tseng said that such a task force would be formed.

"The DPP caucus has been hinting at the possibility of DPP-PFP collaboration, but we can see from what happened with the review of the government's annual budget plan and various bills that the KMT and PFP still remain on cordial terms and work closely with each other," Tseng said.

"The rumors created by the DPP are simply a means to divide the opposition camp," he added.

Meanwhile, the PFP will decide on its candidate for deputy speaker this afternoon by a caucus vote.

Among the three candidates, veteran legislator-at-large Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉) is considered most likely to win the candidacy, since his Hakka identity has secured many Hakka PFP lawmakers' support. The party has a large Hakka base of support.

While some party caucuses are continuing debate over the speakership position, others are still showing reservations about who to support.

The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses said they had not yet decided on whom they would support.

TSU caucus whip Huang Tsung-yuan (黃宗源) said that his party would decide what to do about the race at the party's central executive meeting this Thursday.

NPSU caucus whip Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) also said that it was still too early to make a decision, but the NPSU caucus would meet and make a decision before the speaker election on Feb 1.