Veteran political activist and independent presidential candidate Shih Ming-te (施明德) yesterday lashed out at People First Party (PFP) Chairperson James Soong (宋楚瑜), calling him a dishonest politician who would be more horrible than Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) if elected president.
Saying that Soong had once promised him in person that he would not run in next year’s presidential election, Shih said Soong was a politician who failed to honor his words, therefore losing the most important characteristic required of a political leader.
“I think it is important for a political leader to keep his words, otherwise what are we going to do if he says something today that is different from what he said yesterday, and again change his mind tomorrow?” Shih said. “We have to maintain the idea of distinguishing what’s right and what’s wrong in society.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Shih said that during a meeting with Soong earlier this year, Soong promised him several times that he would not join the presidential race.
Soong not only announced his presidential bid last week, but also copied Shih’s policy ideas without having consulted him in advance, he said.
Shih said that while Soong might be good at executing policies, he is a more suitable premier than president.
“A good mayor or provincial governor might not be a good president, but could be a good premier,” Shih said. “When a capable politician becomes president, they would try to grab everything, and it could be horrible.”
Asked if he thinks it would be more horrible for Soong or Tsai to be elected president, since he once said that he would feel scared if Tsai won, the former DPP member said: “If I have to weigh between the two evils, I would say Soong is more horrible than Tsai.”
Shih said that he would be scared if Tsai won, because he thinks she is not capable of serving as commander-in-chief.
Shih also said that Soong did not really mean it when he announced his presidential bid.
“What he really wants is to keep a PFP caucus [in the legislature], not his own election to presidency,” Shih said. “When there is a PFP caucus in the legislature, Soong would have more bargaining chips when dealing with China.”
In addition, speaking about public endorsement — as he is required to gather 270,000 signatures to become an independent presidential candidate — Shih said that he would not be ashamed if he could not pass the threshold.
Instead, he said he would say that people were being cruel to treat someone who “made so many contributions to Taiwan” all his life in such a manner.
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