Print

Mail

wiki links

Presidential election 2008: 21 days to go: Ma's huddle with TSU members fuels speculation

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou, left, holds up a piece of calligraphy with the text ``Ma will succeed'' that was given to him in Tainan yesterday by former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) secretary-general Chien Cheng-shan, center, and his wife, former TSU legislator Chien Lin Whei-jun. PHOTO: CNA

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday met with two former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) officials, triggering media speculation about whether it was an indication of former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) support for Ma.

Lee is regarded as the TSU's spiritual leader.

During Ma's meeting with former TSU secretary-general Chien Cheng-shan (錢橙山) and Chien's wife, former TSU legislator Chien Lin Whei-jun (錢林慧君), in Tainan City, the couple presented Ma with a plaque bearing the slogan "Ma will succeed" (馬到成功).

The Chiens said they expect Ma to become a strong leader.

When asked by reporters if the meeting suggested they have turned "blue" and were allying themselves with the pan-blue camp, the couple said that they are "neither blue nor green," but belong to "the color of Taiwan."

Chien Cheng-shan said the nation would not be rid of government corruption until people vote for a change of power in the presidential election.

"Change, change, change," Chien Lin Whei-jun said when asked for comment on the purpose of their meeting with Ma.

After a closed-door meeting with the couple, Ma said he agreed with them that politicians should uphold integrity regardless of their party affiliation.

In Taipei, when approached for comment during a visit to Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) dismissed media speculation that the Chiens' meeting with Ma suggested the TSU had decided to support his presidential bid.

"Chien Cheng-shan is no longer the TSU's secretary-general ... he is doing this in a personal capacity," Huang said.

The TSU will decide who to support after evaluating Ma's and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) leadership, their platform on national development and whether they can consolidate the Taiwanese people, he said.

"As far as the UN referendum controversy is concerned, the two presidential candidates should distance themselves from the issue now that the nation is faced with a sovereignty crisis," he said.

Hsieh said he did not think the Chiens' move represented Lee's intention to support Ma.

"Lee is a very influential person. If he had declared his stance [on the presidential race], it wouldn't have been just one or two people coming out in favor of Ma, but all [TSU] members," Hsieh said in response to reporters' questions yesterday.

DPP Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said earlier yesterday that the party would continue to communicate with Chiens to solicit their support for Hsieh.

Lee said he suspected the couple had turned to Ma as a result of the friction over January's legislative elections, in which the DPP passed over Chien Lin Whei-jun in nominating Legislator William Lai (賴清德) to run in the Tainan City constituency.

Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
This story has been viewed 1205 times.