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Premier rejects queries on running as VP

Peter Wang, left, head of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign, burns a poster that reads ''The Democratic Progressive Party's Resolutions Concerning Taiwan's Future,'' urging DPP presidential aspirants to ditch the resolutions as well as President Chen Shui-bian's ''four noes'' pledge during a press conference in Taipei. PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he would not consider running as vice president if he were not picked as the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate in next year's election.

Su made the remarks on the legislative floor when fielding questions from lawmakers.

Although the lawmakers were supposed to question the premier about the Cabinet's performance, Su's campaign for the DPP's nomination quickly became the focus of the discussion on the legislative floor.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers asked Su if he would accept an opponent's invitation to run as vice president if he were to lose the DPP presidential nomination.

"If I am not nominated, that will be it. I will not insist on participating in the [presidential] election to use it as a leverage for a chance to run as the vice presidential candidate. That is not my style," Su said.

`faking it'

In an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) published yesterday, Su was quoted as saying that "somebody" faked a popularity poll to create the illusion that the three other DPP hopefuls were lagging behind by a big margin.

KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) asked Su who that "somebody" was.

"Is that `somebody' related to Sung Chi-li (宋七力)?" she asked.

Sung is a sect leader who claims that he has supernatural powers. Su's opponent in the DPP's primary, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), and Hsieh's wife are Sung's followers.

"I'm afraid that they are closer than related,'" Su said.

Su also said he would consider resigning and concentrating on his campaign if he were chosen as the DPP's presidential candidate.

"There is a great chance that I may not be able to focus on my campaign activities and do my job well as a premier at the same time if I am officially nominated. If that happens, I will tender my resignation," Su said.

Meanwhile, Hsieh assured his supporters yesterday that he would not withdraw from the party's primary.

During a campaign event in Taipei yesterday, Hsieh told attendees that although he did not have the administrative resources or any party faction to support him in the race, he would still do his best to fight for the nomination.

"In order not to let my supporters down, I will not drop out of the race," he said.

Hsieh's campaign has been engaged in wrangling with Su's campaign recently over the DPP's presidential primary.

Lu Tien-lin (盧天麟), spokesman for Hsieh's campaign, issued a press release on Monday warning that although Hsieh led Su in a survey conducted by the campaign between last Tuesday and Thursday, he could lose if the 25,000 members affiliated with the DPP's former New Tide faction were all to support Su.

Su's campaign retaliated by saying yesterday that Hsieh's camp was using negative campaigning to discredit Su.

no faction

Speaking in Su's defense, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) told a press conference that Su was not affiliated with any party faction.

"He transcends party factions," Wu said.

About 60,000 DPP's grassroots supporters had joined a signature campaign last year to show their dissatisfaction with several mem-bers of the party's former New Tide faction.
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