Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that he would let matters run their course with regard to the possibility of inviting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to boost his campaign.
Chu made the remarks during a morning visit to a tourism factory in Yunlin County in response to reporters’ questions about rumors that one of Chu’s aides had telephoned Ko in the morning to sound him out on the topic.
“I think I will let everything run its course,” Chu said.
Photo: CNA
“I do not know which one of my aides spoke to Ko, but we are all friends and I will still extend my gratitude to him regardless of whether he comes to help me out or not,” he added.
Asked if he wanted Ko’s assistance, Chu said he respected everyone’s decision because they might have their own stances or busy schedules to consider.
Chu, who is on a three-month leave of absence from his job as New Taipei City mayor, has worked with Ko on some issues involving the Greater Taipei area.
However, Ko, an independent, has said he would like to see Taipei as a “demilitarized zone” between the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
As for speculation about Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) reported land deals in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), Chu said the public was eager to know the truth and that Tsai should clearly explain the matter.
“However, I must emphasize that the campaign should return to its rightful focus,” Chu said.
“Since the day I was nominated as the KMT’s presidential candidate, the DPP has launched smear campaigns against me. Now it is doing the same to my running mate, former Council of Labor Affairs minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄),” he said.
“When you point a finger at someone else, four of your fingers are actually pointing at yourself,” Chu said.
The KMT legislative caucus has accused Tsai making a profit of NT$180 million (US$5.5 million at current exchange rates) in sales of 15 plots of lands in Neihu that were purchased in 1988 and sold in 1997.
Tsai has said the land was acquired by her parents on her behalf and that the KMT has been wrong about most of the facts about the transactions.
Chu also criticized Tsai for her calls for the presidential candidates to set a date for a televised debate as soon as possible.
“It seems that Tsai is so sure of success in the Jan. 16 election, so she has been resorting to every means possible to prevent a TV debate from taking place. The candidates in the past three presidential races had two debates, which were cohosted by the Public Television Service (PTS) and five other media agencies,” Chu said.
Chu urged Tsai, who has said she would like SET-TV to host the first debate, to honor the tradition and accept the PTS’ invitation at the earliest date.
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