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Local chiefs crucial to poll win: KMT

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou, dressed up in an Aboriginal costume, gets a hug from an Aboriginal supporter during a visit to an exhibition promoting toxin-free agricultural products in Hualien County yesterday. PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) local government chiefs yesterday pledged to spare no efforts to assist party candidates in winning in the year-end legislative elections and presidential race next year.

In a meeting with local government chiefs to discuss party strategy yesterday, party Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (吳敦義) urged them to fully cooperate with the party to achieve its election goal of "winning more, losing less" -- a reference to its aim of winning more votes in the north and containing losses in the south.

The KMT controls 18 out of 25 city and county constituencies around the country, with districts in northern, central and east Taiwan considered strongholds for the party.

"We will definitely win the presidential election if we secure votes in northern districts and lose as little as possible in the south -- or even turn the situation over. It's not a mission impossible if we work harder," Wu said.

With a goal of winning 60 percent of legislative seats in the year-end election, KMT Organization and Development Committee Director Liao Fung-te (廖風德) said local government chiefs' assistance was crucial to secure victory, as the new "single district, two votes" system places more importance on the role of political parties and the election outcome could be affected by a 5 percent swing vote.

Under the new system, voters will elect only one candidate per district for 73 seats, with another 34 seats decided by the proportion of votes cast for specific political parties.

"We cannot afford to lose in the legislative election. The political deadlock will continue if we win the presidency but fail to secure a legislative majority," he said.

Meanwhile, KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he would focus on promoting values and increasing national income if elected next year.

Speaking before a group of students at National Taiwan Normal University, Ma said he would avoid politicking and "prioritize the future of the next generation and reestablish Taiwan's core values -- uprightness, honesty, diligence, tolerance and pragmatism."

Criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for failing to boost the economy, Ma said the KMT would focus on raising economic growth and the average annual income to US$20,000 by 2011 if he were elected.

Asked about his likely running mate, Ma said he expected to meet Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) by the end of this month although Wang had urged him to consider other vice presidential candidates.

Wang yesterday said he wanted to discuss the issue with KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) before meeting Ma, adding that he would give a "clear answer" on whether or not he would agree to pair up with Ma by the end of the month.
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