Reporters treat Wang to birthday party

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng blows out the candle on a cake decorated with a picture of the Presidential Office at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. Wang turns 66 today. PHOTO: CNA

Reporters on the Legislative Yuan beat treated Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to an early birthday party yesterday where he was presented with a cake decorated with a picture of the Presidential Office.

Wang turns 66 today.

Although he has yet to say whether he planned to vie for the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) nomination for next year's presidential election, Wang has made several hints at his intention to do so.

Wang said yesterday that he would do his best to live up to expectations.

"Heading to the Presidential Office is a huge responsibility, but if I had the opportunity to [be in office], I would spare no effort to do it well," Wang said.

While looking at the representation of the Presidential Office building on the birthday cake, Wang said he knew exactly where the president's office was located inside the building.

President's office

"I have been in and out of [the president's office]. I am sort of familiar with it," Wang said, adding that he had never been to the vice president's office.

Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) and People First Party Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) also attended the party and gave their blessings to the three-term speaker.

Former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) had also organized a birthday party for Wang last night, to which former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had also been invited.

Ma declined to comment yesterday morning on his behavior after a dinner hosted by Lien on Wednesday.

After a breakfast meeting with Jan Grotheer, president of the Tax High Court of Hamburg, Germany, Ma spoke to the media and condemned the removal of a statue of late dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in Kaohsiung.

Liquid dinner

When a reporter asked Ma if he would drink as much at Wang's birthday dinner banquet later that evening as he had at a dinner meeting with Lien and Wang on Wednesday, Ma only said "thank you" and rushed to his car.

After Wednesday's meeting, Ma kept smiling, nodding and making faces as he stood next to Lien while Lien was being interviewed by reporters.

The footage of his behavior was broadcast on most local TV news channels and became a popular topic of discussion the following day.

Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin