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Soong denies that he is planning to run for president

People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday denied rumors that he is looking into running for president in 2008.

Without saying clearly that he had absolutely no intention of running in 2008, Soong told reporters yesterday that comments he made on Saturday night were about helping his party campaign for the year-end mayoral and county magistrate elections, not the 2008 presidential election.

"The doctors have said that I am physically well, so I can help our many friends in their campaign efforts for the year-end elections," Soong told reporters yesterday.

physically fit

Soong said on Saturday night that his most recent medical report indicated that he was physically fit and able to continue "entering election[s]," which the media speculated yesterday could have been a reference to Soong's possible desire to run in the 2008 presidential election.

Adding to the speculation, Soong also said on Saturday night that he "must [be] make[-ing] some people nervous" by letting them realize that they can't take advantage of him.

Media rumors had it that Soong is finding it difficult to work up the motivation and energy to take up another term at his party's helm when his term ends this year, pointing to his late registration for the party's July chairmanship election as an indication of his reluctance.

Fellow pan-blue leaders such as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday were low-key when asked about their thoughts on a 2008 Soong run for office.

Anyone is welcome to run in 2008, so long as they qualify, Ma said yesterday when questioned by reporters.

criticism

While Soong, who is running unchallenged in his party's chairmanship race, has remained largely out of the spotlight since his party's loss in the National Assembly elections last month, Soong yesterday openly criticized the Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) administration for its handling of the US beef ban.

"Does this society still have the ability to take care of the issues that the people are concerned about? Think about it, if the whole world knows that American beef has problems, then why wasn't our government able to take the pressure [from the Americans] and opened our market [to the beef]?" Soong said yesterday.

The government reinstated a ban on imports of US beef on Saturday after the US Department of Agriculture confirmed a second case of mad-cow disease. The original ban on US beef was lifted in April this year.
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