The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday sought to play down the repercussions of People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) endorsement of Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), who is running as an independent in the Greater Kaohsiung mayoral election next month.
KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said the five Nov. 27 special municipality elections were a formidable challenge for the KMT and the pan-blue camp.
“History has taught us that we can only win the public’s support if we unite,” Su said. “If we can pass this test, it proves that we can carry out party discipline and that our effort to build grassroots support base has been effective.”
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Instead of bashing Soong, Su said the KMT must minimize the repercussions of “individual politicians” and maximize integration.
“The KMT has been on its own to become stronger in the south,” he said. “Whether KMT candidates will obtain public support will depend on the effort they put in.”
If party members can unite and the party can maintain discipline, Su said he was confident of Huang’s election prospects.
Su’s remarks came in response to reporters’ questions about the possibility of a “dump-save” effect after Soong pledged his support for Yang on Sunday.
The “dump-save” effect refers to strategic voting in which a party with little chance of winning leans toward one of the major parties during a campaign.
The entry of former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Yang has turned the race into a three-way contest with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP and KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順).
Su said Huang was the best choice because a change of government was the only way for residents in the region that will become Greater Kaohsiung to change the status quo.
If the KMT’s policies were correct, Su said he was confident the party would obtain the support of the majority of voters in the south.
Meanwhile, PFP-turned-KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said Soong’s support for Yang would “more or less” affect Huang’s electoral chances.
Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Chuang Chi-wang (莊啟旺), another KMT member, also voiced concerns about pan-blue heavyweight Lin Yuan-yuan (林淵源) joining Soong in supporting Yang because Lin was an influential figure in Kaohsiung County.
Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who also serves as chief supervisor of Huang’s campaign, downplayed the significance of Soong’s support, saying the move could unite KMT supporters in Kaohsiung.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) declined to comment on the matter when he arrived at party headquarters yesterday morning to chair the weekly party meeting in his role as KMT chairman.
For her part, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Soong’s support for Yang was an election “variable,” but she said she had reservations on whether a KMT-PFP split would boost Chen’s re-election bid. Tsai said she had confidence in Chen and her team and that the DPP’s supporters in Kaohsiung were united.
Chen said she was not worried and would not comment on the possibility of a split in the pan-blue camp.
Meanwhile, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) traveled to Kaohsiung City to urge voters to support Chen.
Lee said he did not support any particular political party, only Taiwan. Only if the pro-localization candidates won all five mayoral seats could Taiwanese change the course of Ma’s China-friendly policy, he said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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