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Wang, Ma at odds over the former's campaign-rally plan

The campaign headquarters of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman hopeful, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), yesterday announced that it is applying to hold a campaign rally in front of the Presidential Office on the eve of the party's July 16 chairmanship election. In reply however, the Taipei City government, led by Wang's competitor, Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), said that it plans to turn down the request.

With only one week remaining until the election, the Wang camp yesterday announced its plans to hold a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard on the night of July 15 for all of Wang's supporters as well as participants in last year's pan-blue mass protests against the results of the presidential election.

Procedures

The Wang camp has already followed the necessary procedures to request the use of Ketagalan Boulevard for the rally, Wang's campaign headquarters spokesman Hou Han-chun (侯漢君) said yesterday.

"The main purpose of the rally is to gather all those that are concerned about the KMT chairmanship election, the future of the pan-blue camp, and those that support Wang. We also want to let the participants in last year's March 27 protests gather together again," Hou said.

Indirectly challenging Ma, Hou said yesterday that while the Wang camp will respect the city government's decision, he does not think there should be any reason why the rally should not be permitted, given the significance of Ketagalan Boulevard for pan-blue supporters.

Hundreds of thousands of disappointed pan-blue supporters flooded the streets in front of the Presidential Office last year in the days following the March 20 presidential election to protest the ballot's results.

In what has become a point of contention that the Wang camp has utilized in its campaigning, Ma has been criticized for not taking a more active role in the protests last year.

The prospects for the proposed rally seemed dim yesterday, with Ma saying that the city government had not received the necessary forms in time for the rally to be held.

Late submission

According to the timetable for holding an assembly or rally, the city government said yesterday that an application for an assembly must be submitted at least 10 days before the event's proposed date.

Given that the Wang camp had only sent in its application forms on July 8 for the July 15 rally, it is unlikely that the rally will be allowed.

"The right to assembly is a right protected in the Constitution. All [applications] that are in accordance with the rules will be approved. [I] am definitely not causing difficulties [for Wang]," Ma said yesterday.
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