Clara Chou delivers latest swing in TSU-DPP dust-up

The conflict between the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) New Tide faction intensified yesterday as the two sides traded more barbs.

At a press conference yesterday, the TSU's Taipei mayoral candidate, Clara Chou (周玉蔻), criticized the New Tide's integrity, the DPP's largest and most organized faction, and accused it of colluding with business conglomerates.

Members of the DPP faction dismissed Chou's accusations as groundless and said her rhetoric was not helpful for pan-green camp cooperation in the lead-up to December's mayoral election.

Chou alleged that the Taiwan Economy and Industry Association, chaired by a senior member of the New Tide faction, DPP Legislator Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌), was a financial base camp for the New Tide. Many of the government's finance officials -- including Taiwan Stock Exchange Chairman Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) -- are members of that association.

"The New Tide has complicated relations with many tycoons and senior political figures. Most of the policies of the New Tide are based on its own interests," Chou said.

Chou also accused the New Tide of having shifted its political stance from pro-Taiwan independence to support for a more open stance in relation to the Chinese market.

"It has not stuck to its beliefs and simply changes according to short-term political interests," she added.

However, the chief of the DPP's New Tide faction, DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) dismissed Chou's claims yesterday, saying that she had not offered any facts or evidence to back up her accusations.

"Chou's remarks waver on the hazy line between freedom of speech and libel," Lai said. "We hope Chou does not continue spreading these accusations just because of the election campaign. It does no good to the pan-green camp's cause at all."