The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus passed a resolution yesterday calling on former party chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
KMT Legislator Chiang Pin-kung (
"We elected Wang as speaker, and now [the caucus] has to do something ... like launch a signature drive to push for a `Ma-Wang ticket,'" Chiang said.
KMT Legislator John Chiang (
At the suggestion of KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), the caucus passed the resolution in place of Chiang Pin-kun's proposal of a signature petition.
"If we have to do this [promote a `Ma-Wang ticket'], we have to do it together -- otherwise the party could face a spilt," Huang said.
After the resolution was passed unanimously by the caucus, a group of KMT lawmakers, led by caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan (
Wang refused to comment further on the likelihood of pairing up with Ma, saying: "It's busy in the legislature at the moment, with many bills needing to be tackled. I don't talk about issues other than how to resolve the legislative deadlock."
While the group is still pushing for a "Ma-Wang" ticket, some KMT legislators have begun looking elsewhere for a running mate for Ma.
Jason Lin (林蒼生), chief executive officer of the Uni-President Group, could be a good choice of vice president, some KMT lawmakers said.
"It's a good idea for [former] chairman Ma to start looking for a running mate either from the business community or academia," KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said when approached by reporters after the caucus meeting.
In response to the caucus' proposal, Ma yesterday said he would not reconsider a "Ma-Wang ticket," reiterating his support for Wang's wish to continue to serve as legislative speaker.
"The decision Speaker Wang and I made on Thursday will not change," Ma said in response to media queries after addressing the Model United Nations' student conference at National Chengchi University.
Earlier yesterday, KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (
Ma said his words of support for Wang were an expression of his "personal will," but the KMT has its own procedures in dealing with such matters. He declined to elaborate.
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