Legislative elections: KMT warns of Chen 'dirty tricks' tactic

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) accused President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday of preparing to attack the KMT with a "red smearing" campaign, or linking the party with China's Communist Party, during the last week before the legislative elections, urging supporters to be cautious about Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) "dirty tricks."

Campaigning for KMT legislative candidates on the last Saturday before the elections, Wu warned people not to be manipulated again by the DPP's "dirty tricks."

"Chen will make a big move soon. He will be giving speeches that link the KMT with China and smear the party's reputation at campaigning events," Wu said yesterday when campaigning for KMT Legislator Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) in Banciao (板橋), Taipei County.

"The KMT will not be defeated by any `dirty tricks' during the elections," he said.

Other KMT heavyweights, including KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and former chairman Lien Chan (連戰), also spent the weekend campaigning for party candidates around the nation, calling on voters not to be overly optimistic about the outcome of the elections for the KMT.

"It's a tight election for the KMT and we can't take it [winning] for granted. We still need to work harder to attract votes," Ma said yesterday during a campaigning event in Changhua County.

Ma, Wu, Lien and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) later gathered at a campaign party at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium to promote party candidates, vowing to improve the nation's economy and people's livelihoods if the KMT regained power.

The KMT will hold another campaign party in Tainan City tonight, focusing its efforts on southern Taiwan.

KMT organization and development committee director Liao Fung-te (廖風德) said the KMT was seeking to grab about 73 seats in the legislative elections, with 60 percent to 70 percent of legislative seats in northern and central Taiwan.

In southern Taiwan, long considered a pan-green stronghold, Liao said the KMT would seek to grab at least seven of the total of 22 seats, with a goal of 12 seats.

In response to Chen's criticism of Lien for siding with China and boycotting the referendum ballots after pressure from Beijing, Lien said yesterday that linking the KMT with China was an "old trick" of the DPP and called on Chen not to spread rumors, while condemning the government for its failure to improve cross-strait relations.

"The existence of China is a reality and we cannot ignore it. Only by maintaining a peaceful cross-strait relationship can we create a win-win situation," Lien said yesterday while campaigning in Tainan.

Lien said he did not oppose the referendums, but that he was against the DPP's attempt to influence the election outcome by combining referendums with the elections.