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Wu Poh-hsiung says KMT should be in full control

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday that the KMT, which won more than two-thirds of the legislative seats in Saturday's elections, needs to be in full control before it can shoulder all responsibility for the nation's success or failure.

Wu told a senior staff meeting yesterday morning that the KMT's rival, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had on several occasions emphasized the importance of a single party shouldering all administrative responsibility, adding that the party with a legislative majority was in the best position to play this role.

Communication committee head Huang Yu-cheng (黃玉振) relayed Wu's comments to reporters after the meeting.

Wu said that, according to the DPP's logic, voters should support the KMT in the March presidential poll.

The party secured an overwhelming majority in the first legislative poll under the new "single district, two-vote" system. It won 57 of the 73 district seats, four of the six Aboriginal seats and 20 of the 34 legislator-at-large seats. The DPP suffered a crushing defeat, winning just 27 seats in total.

The absolute majority the KMT enjoys has prompted concern in some circles that the nation could return to an authoritarian era.

Huang said that Wu had cautioned party members to be humble after the overwhelming victory in Saturday's poll, adding that the party would be under close public scrutiny.

The chairman also vowed to go all out to ensure KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) victory in March.

Meanwhile, KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said the party's landslide triumph on Saturday did not necessarily guarantee victory in the presidential election.

Kuo was asked for comment on the results of two surveys published in the Chinese-language United Daily News and China Times yesterday.

The United Daily News survey said that the support rate for Ma and running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) had risen to 60 percent, while that of rivals DPP candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and running mate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) had declined to 18 percent.

The China Times survey put the support rate for the KMT candidates at 51 percent and that of their DPP rivals at 20 percent.

Kuo said the KMT had to be cautious lest the DPP appeal to voter sympathy.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), a KMT member, expressed a similar opinion, urging voters to support the KMT to "stabilize the nation's political situation."
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