Yu `provoking' ethnic conflict, says KMT

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for its decision to push legislation concerning transitional justice and said the legislation would cause ethnic conflict.

"A political party that doesn't want people to look to the future tries to make people forget about it by creating hatred," KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) told a press conference yesterday at KMT party headquarters.

Su the comments in response to DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun's suggestion yesterday that KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) stop paying homage at dictator Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) mausoleum.

Yu the Cabinet yesterday to withdraw the military police guarding Chiang's mausoleum, which the KMT called a "manipulation of ethnic issues."

`Provoking clashes'

At a separate conference yesterday, KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) condemned Yu, saying that Yu's proposal "deliberately tried to provoke clashes between ethnic groups."

Hsu the fact that Yu did not make the proposal during his premiership from 2002 to 2005 indicated that he had ulterior motives.

"Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is the premier. If he agrees to the proposal, he may have to suffer the consequences, while Yu will take all the credit," Hsu said.

"But if the proposal proves difficult to carry out, Su will become the target of criticism during the DPP's presidential primary," he added.

People First Party caucus whip Cheng Chin-ling (鄭金玲) said at a separate conference that the DPP was tweaking its ideology to gain popularity ahead of the next election, but failed to take into consideration how much money its campaign to push the legislation would cost.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih