Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday gave mixed reviews to a call by party headquarters to promote the government’s proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China by holding conferences at the local level.
KMT Legislator Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) told reporters that although he had received a letter from party headquarters urging the party’s lawmakers to help promote the proposed pact, he believed it would be better for the party to garner public support for the agreement in a more subtle manner.
“Holding conferences deliberately [to promote an ECFA] will never be as effective as influencing public opinion imperceptibly,” Chung told reporters at the legislature.
KMT Legislator Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄) said it would be difficult for legislators to promote an ECFA because many do not know enough about it.
The KMT caucus recently received a letter from KMT headquarters calling on lawmakers to explain and promote the ECFA to the general public.
Party headquarters urged legislators to hold sessions for a minimum of 200 people each in their own electoral districts next month while the party will offer a NT$10,000 subsidy for each session.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) quoted an anonymous pan-blue politician yesterday as saying that many KMT legislators from southern Taiwan had reservations about helping the party promote the ECFA because signing the agreement could deal a blow to traditional industries.
But KMT Legislator Lu Chia-chen (盧嘉辰) said he had held a number of ECFA-related sessions, adding that KMT lawmakers could directly help answer the public’s questions about the ECFA during the sessions.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), who also previously helped at several sessions, said he supported the party’s call, adding this would increase public understanding of the agreement.
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