Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday urged pan-blue supporters to unite for the Jan. 14 presidential election amid concerns that People First Party Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) candidacy could divide the KMT’s support base.
With competition for the presidential poll getting tighter, pan-blue supporters should unite and throw their weight behind President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is seeking a second term in office, and his running mate Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Wu Poh-hsiung said.
“A crisis will occur if there is a lack of unity in the pan-blue group,” he said at the launch of Ma’s national campaign headquarters in Taipei.
Wu Poh-hsiung was referring to a possible split among pan-blue voters because Soong has registered to run for the nation’s top office, although he must still complete an endorsement drive to be eligible to enter the race.
Soong was a former KMT heavyweight. He was ousted from the KMT after deciding to run as an independent in the 2000 presidential election against the KMT’s nominee, then-vice president Lien Chan (連戰), and the Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). Chen won.
Soong later formed the PFP.
Wu Poh-hsiung urged pan-blue supporters to feel a sense of urgency and do their utmost to help Ma win re-election.
Meanwhile, at a separate setting in an event held to mark the 124th anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) birthday, former premier and veteran KMT member Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) also slammed Soong
Without actually naming Soong, Hau said that “aside from Ma, there is someone else who has also pledged loyalty to the Republic of China and Three Principles of the People.”
“This person insists on running for president and making trouble. The only effect [of this person taking part in the presidential election] is to drag down Ma,” Hau added.
When reached for a response, PFP spokesman Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) said Taiwan was a democratic country and that any criticisms and suggestions made by the PFP are for the good of the country, adding that “KMT veterans should not always make interpretations from the party’s point of view, as there’s a different between the party and the state."
Additional reporting by Yan Juo-ching
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