Presidential election 2008: 17 days to go: Hsieh warns of one-party dominance

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday warned of the danger posed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) one-party rule a day after the KMT legislative caucus dominated the Legislative Yuan's committee head elections.

Hsieh that it was worth considering whether KMT dominance in the legislature would turn into a "dictatorial leadership" if it won the presidential contest.

"The KMT should have been more modest and kept a lower profile after winning the legislative elections," Hsieh said. "But it went back on its promise to allow smaller parties some of the seats on legislative committees and took them all."

Some the conveners are embroiled in legal cases or have conflicts of interest in the committee they sit on, he said.

Hsieh the remarks during a press conference at his campaign office yesterday morning.

With an absolute majority, Hsieh said the KMT caucus is planning to reverse the legislative decision that would push four "sunshine bills" to the second reading.

While KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should have condemned the KMT caucus' behavior, Hsieh said, Ma instead said nothing.

"The basic mechanism of checks and balances is collapsing and Ma cannot do anything about it," Hsieh said. "The people will suffer because of his incompetence."

The KMT dominance in the legislature only proves Ma's argument is nothing but an empty gesture because if he won the presidential election, he could not rein in the KMT-controlled legislature.

Hsieh he agreed with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who said during an interview with the Public Television Service on Monday that he was worried that those who are not heard in the legislature would take to the streets.

"We don't want to see that happen because it is a step backward for the country's democratic process," he said. "That is why it is so important to have a president who can act as a check on the power of the KMT."

Hsieh continued to question the "cross-strait common market" proposed by Ma's running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長).

Hsieh that election platforms can be altered but it must be done so in an open and dignified manner.

"How can they put their platforms into practice if they cannot tell us exactly what they are," Hsieh said, adding that Ma dodged or denied parts of his platform when under pressure.

Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), a Hsieh camp spokesman, said that he would like to ask Siew five questions.

First, he would like to know whether Siew has ever advocated the "one China market" as his party's new direction. Second, he would like to know whether Siew has urged faster investment in China. Third, he would like to know whether Siew has echoed China's proposal of an "special economic zone" on the west side of the Taiwan Strait. Fourth, has Siew proposed to export agricultural technology, talent and capital to China in response to China's plan to build an experimental area for cross-strait agricultural cooperation? Finally, has he ever said the "cross-strait common market" is a "one China market" and its precondition is "one China, with each side having its own interpretation" and its goals would be "direct transportation links," "an agreement on trade reciprocity" and "a uniform currency and tariffs."

At a separate setting in Taipei yesterday afternoon, Hsieh proposed to revive small and medium-size bus-inesses, reinvigorate traditional industries and offer incentives to lure Taiwanese merchants based in China back home.

When asked to comment on Hsieh's remark that he would appoint Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) or KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) as premier if elected president, Wang, who later attended the same event, dismissed it as an election gambit.

Meanwhile, Ma's camp yesterday accused the DPP caucus of twisting Ma's remarks on the recognition of Chinese education credentials. Ma's spokesman Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄) yesterday played a videotape of Ma's speech on the issue during last month's presidential debate, in which he promised to support recognition of Chinese educational credentials, but opposed allowing holders to take national examinations for professional licenses.

"Opening up Chinese educational credentials requires supplementary measures, and I am against letting those with Chinese credentials take national examinations for professional licenses," Ma said in the video.

Shyu the DPP caucus for using only part of Ma's words in a recent campaign commercial and twisting Ma's policies.

"Voters in central and southern Taiwan are influenced by such negative campaign tactics. We urge Hsieh to restrain his staff from continuing such low tricks," Shyu said yesterday at Ma's campaign headquarters.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih