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Suspicious PFP threatens KMT with more inaction

Citing doubts about the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) sincerity in negotiating on a joint nomination of candidates for the legislative elections, the People First Party (PFP) yesterday again threatened to withdraw its cooperation with the KMT on blocking a legislative amendment that could scupper former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) presidential campaign.

"Many of our caucus members are very unhappy with the KMT about the legislative nomination issue. We might just take a step back and watch what happens in [today's] Procedure Committee meeting," PFP legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) said after a PFP caucus meeting.

Today's weekly Procedure Committee meeting will again deliberate over whether to put an amendment to the President and Vice President Election and Recall Law (總統副總統選舉罷免法) onto the legislative agenda.

The amendment, introduced by the Democratic Progressive Party, proposes that anyone found guilty of corruption in an initial trial be barred from running for the presidency or vice presidency. Ma, who has been charged with embezzlement, could lose his shot at the presidency if the bill is promulgated.

PFP Legislator Feng Ting-kuo (馮定國) said that the party would not side with the KMT on the amendment unless the KMT honors its commitment to the two-party agreement outlining the principles for a joint nomination system.

"According to the agreement, at least seven incumbent PFP lawmakers should be nominated as joint candidates. The KMT has to guarantee this," Feng said.

The amendment was put on the agenda for the first time on April 17 after four PFP lawmakers and a Non-Partisan Solidarity Union lawmaker on the committee who could have helped the KMT vote down the pan-green camp were absent from the meeting.

But on April 20, six hours after the agreement was signed following an overnight negotiation session, the PFP helped the KMT pass a vote adjourning the plenary session, as a result of which the amendment was sent back to the Procedure Committee.

"We agreed during the night's talks that the two parties have two weeks to discuss joint nominations, but the KMT does not seem committed to the agreement," Fu said.
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