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Koo asks Tsai for alliance

While the three candidates for next month’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman election all appear committed, former senior presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming’s (辜寬敏) camp proposed forming an alliance with former vice premier Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟), former secretary-general of the Presidential Office, said yesterday morning that it would only be to the advantage of the party if the two were to team up, with Koo being the chairman and Tsai being his deputy.

“What the party wants right now is unity and the cooperation between Koo and Tsai would be the best-case scenario,” Chen said after giving an interview at a radio station.

He said that while Koo is stable, determined and firm, Tsai is creative, smart and quick-witted. It would be very unlikely that they would not get along because they were reasonable, well-educated individuals, he said.

Chen said that he realized Tsai would have to try very hard to convince her supporters to drop out of the race, but he would continue to communicate with Tsai and not give up hope until Sunday, when the party will hold an extraordinary national convention.

The chairman election is set for May 18.

In addition to factional support, Chen said Tsai might be wondering how much room she would have to maneuver if she were to serve as Koo’s deputy and whether she could get along with the two “old sticks-in-the-mud,” referring to himself and Koo.

Chen said he would be happy to be Tsai’s deputy if Tsai were willing to be Koo’s deputy. There would be no such thing as who had more power over the other, Chen said, because the election was not about individual competition but teamwork.

It would help the party if the strongest team were chosen and the party could only benefit if Tsai were willing to join their team, he said.

While Tsai had invited Chen to join her team if she were to be elected, he said that he would stay clear of politics if Koo were to lose the election.

Chen said he realized that some had wanted him to join the race but then later decided to back Tsai because he was not qualified.

He had originally thought Tsai would make a good candidate for the position but later decided to support Koo, he said.

Meanwhile, Tsai said she has always respected Koo and the other candidate, DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), and hoped to cooperate with them in “other areas.”

Tsai said only solidarity could bring hope to the country, effectively keep the KMT in check and protect the disadvantaged and low and medium-income classes.

“These are the most important tasks of the party and the common responsibility of all party members,” she said after holding closed-door meetings with DPP members in in Chiayi and Yunlin counties.

She also expressed the hope that the election would go smoothly and send the message that the DPP is a party of unity.

Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) said that as the party is at a low point, it desperately needs to get back on its feet again. Tsai represents a new hope, new values and is the most appropriate candidate for the job, he said.
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