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TSU cool to DPP's overtures
`NOT INTERESTED':
The DPP's chairman said the party wanted to work with the TSU in nominating candidates for next year's legislative elections, and would consider a merger
By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Jul 10, 2006, Page 3
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun yesterday said that the DPP was willing to forge an alliance with the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) to contest upcoming elections, but the TSU gave a lukewarm response.
Yu confirmed that the DPP planned to form a political coalition dubbed the "Green Justice Alliance," which aims to cooperate with the TSU in making nominations for legislative elections next year.
"To face the challenge brought by the new single-member district two-vote electoral system, we think a union between the DPP and the TSU is the only way to win. The DPP and the TSU have to unite so that we can guard the regime of local Taiwanese," Yu said.
According to estimates by high-ranking DPP officials, the party might only gain about 30 legislative seats and the TSU would get none in next year's legislative elections.
The total number of legislative seats will be halved from 223 to 113 seats because of the new electoral system.
Therefore, speeding up the birth of an alliance with the TSU is viewed as a strategy to cope with a potential decline in the pan-green camp's power.
As for the manner of cooperation, Yu said that forming a political alliance was just one option.
"The DPP is willing to seek any cooperative platform with the TSU, including forming an alliance or even merging the two parties into one," Yu said, adding that he would visit TSU Chairman Shu Ching-chiang (蘇進強) again to discuss the issue in the coming days.
But TSU Secretary-General Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) yesterday said that the TSU was not interested in the DPP's suggestion, and that he suspected Yu was attempting to use the issue to shift the focus to planned reforms by the DPP.
"The DPP is going to dissolve its internal factions and this will inevitably cause a strong counter-reaction. Yu's idea is all about diverting the focus of such opposition," Lo said.
"It is just wishful thinking by the DPP," Lo added.
He said that it was impossible for the TSU to talk about a merger or forming an alliance with the DPP at this moment as the DPP was still hampered by corruption scandals.
"Even though this idea is for the 2007 legislative elections, the suggestion should start from the standpoint of equality and respect. But the TSU does not sense this from the DPP," Lo said.
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