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DPP recommends ‘dream team’ for mayoral elections

“It is too early to tell what will happen in 2012. But shouldn’t we give the young and new as well as women a chance?” — Chen Shui-bian, former president

Four Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday recommended a “dream team” made up of six senior party members to run in next year’s mayoral elections, as part of a strategy to boost party morale.

Not everyone, however, agreed that the team would be the answer.

DPP legislators Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), Kuo Wen-cheng (郭玟成) and Su Cheng-ching (蘇震清) said they would nominate former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to run for Tainan County commissioner, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) as Taoyuan County commissioner and four former premiers — Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Yu Shyi-kun and Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) — to head Taipei County, Kaohsiung County, Ilan County and Chiayi City respectively.

The four lawmakers said they would propose the nomination at the DPP National Convention on Sunday.

Describing the six former officials as the DPP’s “dream team,” Wang said that if Chen were deemed unsuitable to take part in the election because of his status as former president, former Presidential Office secretary-general Mark Chen (陳唐山) could run in his stead.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should also run for Taipei mayor, Wang said.

Asked if the six had agreed to the nominations, Kuo said they would have little choice if their nominations won majority support on Sunday.

Other DPP lawmakers, however, were not as enthusiastic.

DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅) said he was optimistic about the nominations, but added that other senior DPP members, such as former justice minister Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), had been defeated in county elections when they tried to re-enter local politics after leaving the central government.

DPP Legislator Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that although the return of various senior party members to the political scene could raise the party’s fighting spirit, the public might interpret it as the party suffering from a lack of qualified individuals.

DPP convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Chen Shui-bian was least likely to make a return to politics given his current circumstances.

DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), meanwhile, urged her colleagues to hold off discussing candidates as the party had yet to pass regulations governing the draft system.

In a statement issued later yesterday, Chen Shui-bian thanked Huang and others but declined their invitation, saying that the DPP had to seriously consider a “second generational shift” if it wanted to stand a chance in the presidential election in 2012.

“If you love me, please don’t set me up,” he said in a statement issued by his office.

He attributed the DPP victory in the 2000 election and the KMT triumph in this year’s presidential poll to generational shifts.

“It is too early to tell what will happen in 2012,” he said. “But shouldn’t we give the young and new as well as women a chance?”

He urged the “big four” — Lu, Su, Yu and Hsieh — to “step aside and refrain from blocking the road” and asked them to “give the younger generation a chance.”

Chen Shui-bian called on party members to support the party and Tsai. He also urged them to win back public support by promoting party unity, ideals and values.

Emphasizing that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is the country’s head of state, Chen Shui-bian said he did have something to say about the Ma administration but he did not want the public to think that there were two presidents so he would rather keep quiet.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KO SHU-LING
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