Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
The leader of the PFP caucus' office, Chin Hui-chu (
The PFP was established by Soong and a breakaway group of KMT members in 2000. Soong was expelled from the KMT in 1999 after he launched an independent presidential campaign.
Ma yesterday said he hoped Chin's decision wouldn't affect his meeting with Soong, scheduled for yesterday afternoon.
"I don't think Chin's departure from the PFP creates an embarrassing situation, and I hope the incident won't have a negative influence on the meeting," Ma said.
Not made public
According to Ma, Chin returned to the KMT in the middle of last month, but had asked the party's Organization and Development Committee not to publicize the matter until Soong returned from US. Ma said he did not know about the incident until Monday.
Another former PFP legislator, Hsieh Chang-chieh (
Not deliberate
Responding to the possibility that more PFP members will follow in the footsteps of Chin and Hsieh, Ma said that the KMT welcomes anyone who wants to join the party, but would not set up any measures specifically to smooth the way for groups of PFP members to return.
KMT spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (
"Chin joined the KMT because of a personal decision. We do not have a plan to attract PFP members to return to the party. Our current priority is seeking cooperation with the PFP," Cheng said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"The KMT and PFP have the same roots. PFP members return to the KMT because they feel the need to do so," Wang said.
"While I'm not in a position to say anything about this, I can understand how the PFP feels," he said
When asked whether he is sanguine about the prospects for cooperation between Ma and Soong, Wang said the two parties had been cooperating in the legislature for a long time and had achieved a lot.
Merger
"I expect to see further cooperation between the parties in the future," he said.
"Unification of the two parties is the way to go," he said.
When asked whether he plans to push forward his meeting with Soong, Wang only said that he and Soong can communicate at any time.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
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