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Pan-blue big guns attend KMT rally

Demonstrators participating in the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT)``fight for our livelihood, save Taiwan'' rally converge on Ketagelan Boulevard yesterday. PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

With whistles sounding and under drizzling skies, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) led pan-blue camp supporters on a parade through Taipei streets yesterday afternoon to demand a healthier economy and express determination to "save Taiwan."

Taipei City police said around 30,000 people took part in the rally, down considerably from a KMT rally last November which attracted more than 100,000 supporters.

The rally called for a ceasefire on the unification/independence debate and urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to improve the livelihoods of the people.

However, the latest remarks from the family of the late Chen Yi-hsiung (陳義雄), who denied yesterday that he was responsible for the March 19, 2004, shooting of the president and vice president, also aroused an enthusiastic response from the marchers.

Hostile feeling toward President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was commonplace, with marchers yelling "We want the truth!" and "Step down, Chen Shui-bian!"

The rally reached a climax when Ma and New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) arrived at Ketagelan Boulevard and were joined by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) on a temporary stage.

The KMT invited 12 "ordinary citizens" to complain about the "sluggish economy" and denounce government corruption.

The pan-blue camp's top five figures then took turns speaking, slamming government corruption and the administration's inability to improve the nation.

They vowed to amend major bills in the legislature on issues such as credit card abuse.

"The opposition parties should demand that the government find solutions to many social issues. We don't want an expensive arms procurement bill and we don't want a rise in oil prices," Soong said.

President Chen's recent questioning of Ma five times during a 228 commemorative service with the question "Am I wrong?" became a cause for ridicule yesterday, with Lien teasing the president for addressing Ma like a "nagging wife."

"Chairman Ma likes to tell newlyweds that grooms should never question the brides because the brides will never be wrong ... You [Chen] are not a bride, and [Ma] is not your groom, so how can you ask him whether you are wrong?" Lien said, drawing laughs from the crowd.

The KMT chairman then accused Chen of ignoring people's needs.

"It's wrong of him to leave the people living in destitution and to renege on his promises. The government has already ceased to function," Ma said.

"As credit card slaves commit suicide one after the other, where is the government?" he said.

Ma urged the government to focus its efforts on improving the economy, while pledging to make good use of the opposition's control of the legislature.

"[Chen] has said more than a dozen times that he would make every effort to improve the economy, but he never has. As opposition parties, we will exercise our power to legislate laws and decide major policies to save Taiwan," the KMT chairman said.

Wang supported a new investigation into the assassination attempt on the president and vice president "until the whole truth about the matter has come to light."

"Whether [we proceed or not with a] second 319 shooting truth investigation special committee will need to wait for the legislative caucus to push the matter forward," he said, adding that he expected amendments to the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例) would bolster its work.

The rally united the five major pan-blue figures for the first time since the 2004 presidential election.

In return, Ma has promised to join a 319 rally next week organized by the PFP.
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