Facing strong resistance from the pan-green camp, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to draw a line between itself and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
"The DPP should draw a clear line in the sand with President Chen and stop defending him, for he has become a public enemy in Taiwan. The DPP should consider its future," Ma said yesterday at Taipei City Hall.
Ma made the remarks in response to an advertisement placed by pro-independence groups in Chinese-language newspaper the China Times yesterday, interpreting the campaign as a conflict between ethnic groups.
The ad claimed that Chen's son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (
Ma denounced the ad for distorting the motive of the campaign as an ethnic conflict, and urged Chen not to mobilize pro-independence groups because "such diversion tactics will be useless."
With more people supporting the recall campaign and the move to dismiss the Cabinet, Ma called on the DPP to stop "embracing Chen," otherwise the party will go down with the president and will never be revived.
"I am not cursing the DPP. Instead, I hope the party will be better because it takes at least two competitive political parties for Taiwan to make progress," Ma said.
If the DPP failed to draw a distinct line between itself and Chen, Ma said, the party will be unable to retain its members' respect and the public's trust.
"I expect the DPP to become a respectable rival to the KMT. We do not want to see it go down with President Chen," he added.
In addition to the counterattack from the pan-green camp, Ma acknowledged being under enormous pressure from his own party and the People First Party (PFP), who have been critical about his caution on the recall issue.
Previously, Ma wanted to hold back the recall motion until the investigations proved that the first couple were directly involved in the scandals and was criticized by some pan-blue legislators for not being "tough" enough.
"I know what I am doing. Sometimes the decision not to make a certain move requires more courage," he said.
Now that he agrees with the recall motion, Ma said he will spare no effort to force Chen off the political stage, while having confidence in prosecutors capacito reveal the truth behind the scandals.
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