After saying he was quitting politics for good when he resigned from the premiership in October 2000, former premier Tang Fei (
"I don't want to regret not doing something in my remaining years that I should have done," Tang, 75, told reporters yesterday.
He said he was motivated to form the association after seeing the rising number of people becoming disillusioned with politics and not exercising their right to vote over the past seven years.
Tang said he wished to get these unmotivated people back into politics and work with them to find a way out for the nation by holding open forums.
"I have been thinking of a middle road for the country that is free of the issue of unification [with China] and [Taiwanese] independence," he said. "I don't want to see the country dragged down by the problem of unification or independence and fail to make progress as other countries do."
The association would not be a political party that would nominate candidates for elections nor be pro-blue or pro-green, he said.
Tang, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), was the first premier appointed by President Chen Shui-bian (
The appointment of Tang was a reflection of the DPP's attempt to cooperate with the KMT, but he resigned five months later after running into conflict with the DPP plan to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
While the Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday that Tang was planning to invite critics Lung Ying-tai (
Commenting on Tang's move, KMT legislative caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping (
DPP legislative caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), on the other hand, questioned the association's chances of succeeding given the level of political confrontation that exists.
Vice President Annette Lu (
"He once served as the premier for about four months. It's great that he wants to do something for the country," she said. "I think everybody should also consider what they can do for the country."
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
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