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Presidential election 2008: 6 days to go: Former president Lee favors Hsieh, lawmaker says

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) said yesterday that former president Lee Teng-hsui (李登輝) favors DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) over his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

"We visited former president Lee [on Friday]. He said Hsieh is bound to win and asked the alumni of the Lee Teng-hui School to put their efforts into getting Hsieh elected," said Twu, who is also the executive director of the alumni association of the political academy founded by Lee.

The press conference was held to announce the group's support for Hsieh.

"Lee was very much in favor of our coming out to support Hsieh," Twu said.

Lee has yet to come forward in person and say which of the two candidates he favors.

However, in an interview with Japanese writer Yusuke Fukada, which was published in the current issue of a Japanese monthly, Lee said that Taiwan's democracy would be set back 20 years if Hsieh lost the election.

However, if Hsieh manages to rouse himself and catch up with Ma, the old forces of the two parties would perish and be replaced by new blood, Lee was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Thinktank chairman Chen Po-chih (陳博志), who served as Lee's economic adviser during his presidency, said yesterday that Lee had always been opposed to the establishment of a "cross-strait common market" -- an idea that Ma currently advocates.

"Only when two countries have similar economic status will free movement of production factors not hurt public interest," he said. "In the case of Taiwan and China, a free flow of labor in a common market will turn Taiwan into a refugee camp."

Chen said Chinese labor would be allowed to enter the country about three years after a common market is set up, in accordance with international practices, rebutting the promise made by Ma that he would never open up Taiwan to Chinese workers if elected.
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