Sun, Nov 25, 2001 page1

• Chen elaborates on his `national stability' plan

  • By Lin Chieh-yu / STAFF REPORTER
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  President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday repeated his suggestion that forming a "cross-party alliance for national stability" was meant to share power with opposition parties, saying he would personally visit party leaders and politicians to persuade them to support the plan.

  "National stability is neither a strategy for encouraging defection from the opposition alliance (招降納叛) nor a mechanism to override the current Constitutional system," Chen told reporters yesterday morning.

  "[The proposed alliance] is just an interim arrangement before formally launching the party-to-party negotiation for a coalition government," Chen added.

  Chen made his suggestion late Wednesday night. However, both major opposition parties' chairmen -- the KMT's Lien Chan (連戰) and the People First Party's James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- clearly rejected the president's invitation, which came during their campaign activities.

  Chen, who had invited a few reporters from evening papers and news agencies to have breakfast at the presidential residence, stressed that the right to organize the Cabinet belonged to the president in accordance with the country's Constitution.

  "As head of state, I am sincerely seeking cooperation with opposition parties to implement a coalition government to end political chaos," Chen said, "and the `national stability alliance,' just like the previous Economic Development Advisory Conference, is the way to reaching consensus."

  Responding to Lien's criticism that the president's proposal deliberately ignores the constitutional system, Chen said that he and all the ruling party members would never violate the Constitution. "While the country faces political deadlock and severe confrontation between the ruling party and opposition alliance, it is necessary to create a basis for trust and communication for both sides," the president said.

  He explained the content of the future "alliance" where the political party would be the core member followed by the individual politicians, adding that he was not necessarily the one to serve as its leader.

  "All parties can share power through the alliance," Chen said, "and I, even though taking the post of alliance leader, will take the role of supervising, instead of interfering in its operation."

  When asked how he would respond if the KMT still insisted on the right to form the Cabinet or even the new alliance, Chen replied that the alliance would not be led by the KMT. "Time has shown that the opposition alliance, which was led by the KMT, failed to stabilize chaos after one-and-a-half years," Chen said.

  The president also suggested that there might be "terrible" consequences if the KMT launches a no-confidence vote against the premier in the Legislative Yuan after the election.

  "I believe that those opposition leaders will consider the huge social cost involved because the vote will lead to dissolving the Legislative Yuan [while the election would have just ended]," Chen said, "and the opposition leaders should know who the public would blame."

  In his comments on the possible future of opposition party leaders, Chen stressed that he hoped the scene of last year's vicious protest on the day of the presidential poll would never happen again.

  "It is difficult to predict whether the scene -- thousands of people crowded around the KMT's headquarter to force the party's chairman to step down -- will take place again on the night of December 1," Chen said.

  During his talks with reporters on Wednesday, Chen had already suggested that a particular opposition party leader might step down after the election. Presidential Office sources and DPP leaders privately revealed that Lien Chan would be forced to take responsibility for the failure of the legislative election and resign his post, which may lead to vicious political fighting within the party.
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