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Pan-blue alliance splits over Miaoli

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) have talked for months about cooperating in the year-end elections. But yesterday the KMT refused to give the Miaoli County commissioner race to the PFP.

KMT Secretary-General Chan Chuen-pao (詹春柏) and his PFP counterpart, Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生), met on Tuesday to discuss a possible pan-blue roster of candidates. Chin offered to dissuade his party's hopefuls in Taipei, Hsinchu, Changhua and Ilan counties from running -- and in return the PFP was hoping the KMT would support Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) for Miaoli County commissioner.

The KMT's candidate for the race, Liu Cheng-hong (劉政鴻) called a press conference yesterday to reaffirm his determination to run.

Accompanied by KMT spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) and Liao Feng-teh (廖風德), head of the KMT's Organization and Development Committee, Liu said that he has received a lot of support from county residents, so he would not drop out of the race.

"I can not disappoint local KMT members. Both party members and local people support me and expect me to win the election. I can't just quit," he said.

Liao acknowledged that trying to integrate an election roster with the PFP has been difficult.

"Integration will continue. But in some cities or counties where it is difficult to dissuade candidates from running, there is nothing we can do but support our own candidates," he said.

PFP Spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping (謝公秉) expressed regret.

"The KMT promised to dissuade Liu Cheng-hong and support our candidate. Their announcement today has hurt the feelings of pan-blue supporters," he said.

Hsieh said every previous Miaoli County commissioner has been a Hakka, which is why the PFP wants Hsu to run.

If the KMT insisted on campaigning for Liu, who is not a Hakka, it will "break Hakka people's hearts," Hsieh said.
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