Hsieh denies conflict with Chen over policy positions

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday that he and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) were on the same page, rejecting speculation they were in conflict over policies.

"Different opinions are not necessarily noise," Hsieh said. "Music is made of different notes."

He said he and Chen respect each other's opinions and that different opinions are like the different notes that make beautiful music.

Hsieh made the remarks at Songshan Airport in Taipei City yesterday morning in response to questions about a divergence of opinion on political matters between Chen and himself.

Hsieh said that while he and Chen did not use the media to attack each other, the media tended to play up their differences, adding that he would not stop speaking his mind.

"I am the kind of person who says what's on his mind and what he believes," he said. "Sincerity is very important and better than being fake."

Hsieh said he and Chen saw each other on a weekly basis and that communication was smooth.

"He knows me well," Hsieh said. "We have been friends for nearly 30 years and that is how we interact with each other."

While Chen described Hsieh's recent remarks as "election talk," Hsieh yesterday said the remarks were "indeed my election platform."

Hsieh did not see any conflict between him and Chen because Chen is the incumbent president while he is the future president, Hsieh said.

"My policy proposal delineates what I plan to do when I am elected," he said. "If there is anything Chen didn't do enough of or didn't do quite right, I will do it."

Hsieh said that what mattered most was that he and Chen are both genuinely concerned about the welfare of Taiwanese. They empathize with them and are determined to resolve their problems, he said.

Meanwhile, Hsieh promised he would resolve the sound pollution problem at Songshan Airport and relocate it to Taoyuan if elected. He would also make good on his promise not to turn Songshan Airport into a stop for cross-strait direct flights, he said.

Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) said yesterday that Chen and Hsieh had good communication and mutual understanding. Hsieh's policy proposals are the vision he has drawn up for the future and make up for the deficiencies in current government policy, she said.

Commenting on Hsieh's remark that "those who are good at rebuking others will bring bad luck upon their party, family and those around them," Yeh said the warning was targeted at Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), not Chen.