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Ma, New Party discuss merger plan

Taipei Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou, left, yesterday shakes hands with New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

STAFF REPORTER

Taipei Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday articulated his plan to unite and strengthen the pan-blue camp. Ma reached an agreement with the New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) that pan-blue parties should eventually merge during a meeting with him yesterday, but the KMT chairman-elect has yet to speak to People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

During the meeting with Yok yesterday, Ma said "lumping all pan-blue parties together will be my first priority when I take control of the KMT."

"The New Party will follow the direction of Ma and Soong to pursue the goal [of a united blue camp]. I hope it will be achieved soon," Yok said.

While not setting a timetable for a KMT-New Party merger, Ma and Yok both agreed that it is necessary for their two parties to closely cooperate.

The New Party, a KMT splinter group, separated from the party in 1993. It was formed by a group made up largely of second-generation Mainlanders who were unhappy with corruption in the KMT and with what they saw as the "Taiwanization" of the party when it was led by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

The New Party's influence in the country's political affairs has waned in the past decade, with its seats in the legislature decreasing from 21 out of 164 in 1995, to just 11 out of 225 in 1998.

In the 2001 legislative election, the New Party was purged from the legislature completely as its members defected to the PFP. In the legislative elections last year, six New Party members campaigned under the KMT banner.

Yok, who has been dedicated idea of a united pan-blue front to oppose the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since last years' presidential election, told Ma that there is a need for greater unity among the opposition parties and that such a move is a common wish of most pan-blue supporters.

At yesterday's meeting, Yok also wished Ma good luck when he holds talks with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-ping (王金平), and hopes that the rift within the KMT -- brought about as a result of the chairmanship election -- could be healed.

Ma's effort to cooperate with the PFP -- the second largest opposition party -- is not going as well as with the New Party. Speaking on the issue of a united pan-blue front, PFP policy research director Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said that the priority for KMT and the PFP is to cooperate in the year-end county commissioner and mayoral elections, but that talks of a merger should be postponed.

Ma also noted that he send congratulations to Soong as soon as he was re-elected as PFP chairman, but Soong failed to respond to the letter, as he is currently in the US.

Ma said he had asked PFP secretary-general Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) to arrange a visit between him and Soong after Soong returns to Taiwan.
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