Acting DPP chair Lu gives new boy Yu a few pointers

On the last day of her tenure, acting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) proposed four issues for incoming DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun to look at and also urged Yu to persuade former chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) to stay on.

After presiding over the last central standing committee of her month in charge yesterday, Lu announced the 10 achievements she had made over the past month, saying that she was glad to have completed the tasks using efficiency and integrity.

Her 10 feats included the successful completion of the chairpersonship by-election and reforming the method of payment for annual membership fees.

After talking up her personal achievements, Lu went on to suggest four issues for Yu to tackle.

Lu pointed out that Yu should be concerned about the low turn-out rate in the party chairpersonship by-election and try to find out the reasons behind the party's local government election debacle last month. How to lead the DPP to victory in future elections and restore the DPP's reputation for integrity will be another two crucial tasks.

Meanwhile, Lu said that the central standing committee has formulated a proposal to ask Yu to try his best to persuade Lin to change his mind about leaving the DPP.

"It would be `a pity and a shame' to see Lin leave the DPP and I hope that Chairman Yu will spare no effort in persuading Lin to stay after taking up the chairmanship," Lu said. "How to handle the fallout if Lin does depart is also an important issue."

Lu added that she will visit Lin "at an appropriate time" and that maybe she will found a fellowship for former chairpersons.

Lin is the third former chairman to quit the DPP. The party's fifth chairman, Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), withdrew from the party in 1999 to run as an independent in the 2000 presidential election. The sixth chairman, Shih Ming-teh (施明德), also left because he disagreed with President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) opinions about the Cabinet.

Lu will hand over the reigns to Yu in a ceremony to be held this afternoon at the DPP's headquarters. Chen and new Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will attend the ceremony.

The pan-blue camp leaders, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and People First Party chairman James Soong turned down their invitations.

Meanwhile, the DPP has decided to nominate former Chiayi mayor Chen Li-chen (陳麗貞) to stand in the Chiayi City Legislative by-election in March.

A by-election will be held to fill the vacancy left by the KMT's Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), who had to give up the post after winning the Chiayi mayoral election in last month's local government elections.

The Taiwan Solidarity Union intends to nominate Ling Tzu-chu (凌子楚), who previously ran for a legislative seat in Chiayi City. Yu said yesterday that the DPP will negotiate with the TSU to try and decide on a suitable candidate.