DPP approves list of legislator-at-large candidates

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday approved its legislator-at-large list of candidates as well as some district legislators amid questions over several controversial figures.

Among the 28 legislator-at-large candidates, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) was indicted for her involvement in an alleged loan scandal at Sunny Bank (陽信商銀).

DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) was indicted on corruption charges in connection with a bribe offered by a construction company in exchange for his lobbying the National Property Administration (NPA) to help the company win the rights to lease a plot of land belonging to the Taichung City Government.

For his part, former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun was indicted on charges of forgery and embezzlement over allegations of misuse of his "special allowance fund" during his term as premier.

Asked whether the controversial nominees would have a negative impact on the elections, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) said yesterday that the candidates had been picked in accordance with the party's nomination process and approved by the Central Executive Committee.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Chien-hsin (劉建忻) said that indictment and conviction were not the same thing and urged the public to use the same standards when judging the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates.

"KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been indicted on graft charges and a KMT candidate for legislator-at-large is still serving time in jail," Liu said, referring to KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who is serving a 14-month prison term for violent conduct during a protest in front of the Kaohsiung District Court following the 2004 presidential election.

Yu avoided the question yesterday, saying it was not part of his plan to be a legislator-at-large and that he respected the party's selection mechanism.

Six more legislator-at-large candidates will be selected by the party's nomination committee. Among the 28 candidates already selected, 15 are women and 13 are men. The party said 12 to 15 candidates were on the "safe list."

The committee also agreed to recruit non-DPP members -- former KMT member Lee Sen-zong (李顯榮), former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙), former TSU Legislator Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) and independent Taipei County Councilor Chen Yong-fu (陳永福) -- to run in the legislative election.

The committee approved the nomination of Chen Hsiu-hui (陳秀惠) as the party's candidate for Aboriginal legislator.

The committee also resolved to support the proposal of holding legislative and presidential elections in tandem with referendums and collecting election and referendum ballots together.

Meanwhile, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will launch a 50-day campaign in Kaohsiung on Saturday, followed by three campaign rallies in Tainan on Sunday.