KMT plans to introduce new recall motion

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday pledged to boost efforts to oust President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) by initiating a second recall motion to topple the president.

Promoting a second recall motion in the Legislative Yuan and letting voters decide the future of the president in a referendum will be a victory for all Taiwanese, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said.

"The second recall motion will not be an `exit strategy' for the anti-Chen campaign. What it should be is an `entrance strategy' for Taiwanese," Ma said during the party's central standing committee meeting yesterday.

He made the remarks following a speech by Emile Sheng (盛治仁), a politics professor at Soochow University and a spokesman of the anti-Chen campaign, who had been invited to offer advice on the party's strategies on recent political developments.

Sheng expressed disappointment over the KMT's passive approach to joining forces with the anti-Chen protesters by demanding the president's resignation from within the system.

"[The campaign] is trying to establish core values for our society. As the largest opposition party, the KMT should not give up its advantage in the Legislative Yuan," Sheng said, adding that the party should take advantage of its majority in the legislature to oust Chen by pushing for another recall motion or toppling the Cabinet.

"What is the KMT's attitude? Why has the party done nothing since the new legislative session began?" he added.

Ma said that the KMT has never been absent from the anti-Chen movement initiated by former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德).

He added that the party would spare no effort to ensure the success of a second recall motion by pushing legislation to redraw the boundaries of election districts and amendments to the Election and Recall Law (選罷法).

"The KMT caucus has also asked party members to contact pan-green legislators and seek their support. We need to act with caution," he said.

He also denied being "weak" in opposing Shih's plan to "besiege" the Presidential Office on Double Ten National Day.

"As Taipei mayor, it's my responsibility to maintain public order. ... What I'm afraid of is that violent incidents would ruin the campaign's efforts," he said.

The first recall motion launched by the KMT in June failed to pass the legislature amid a lack of support from the pan-green camp. If a recall motion passed the legislature, a national referendum would follow.

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) also agreed that the party should take the initiative to oust Chen through a second recall motion.