People First Party (PFP) spokesman Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday confirmed that PFP Chair-man James Soong (宋楚瑜) had spoken to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), saying that Soong had urged Ma to freeze the KMT's "four months clause."
The clause requires people to hold KMT membership for at least four months before they are allowed to run in elections for public posts.
If the clause were frozen, there would be no need for PFP lawmakers to leave the party and rejoin the KMT, allowing them to stand in the party's primaries for next year's legislative elections, which are scheduled to take place in April or May.
"We are not begging for favors from the KMT, but the four month clause is not good for cooperation between the two parties," Lee said.
Ma spoke with Soong on Tuesday night and again yesterday morning.
Lee said that Ma had told Soong he would "take a positive approach to deal with the issue as soon as possible."
When asked by reporters yesterday about suggestions from some KMT members that the party should increase the membership requirement to a period of one year, Ma said the four-month regulation would not be altered.
"Adding new regulations or canceling existing regulations could generate concern among some groups that any new rules are targeted at them," he said.
A KMT-PFP coalition is facing opposition from KMT legislators and Central Standing Committee (CSC) members who oppose negotiating with the PFP on nominations for next year's legislative elections and the 2008 presidential poll. Ma said the party would continue to communicate with members until a consensus was reached.
"The forming of a KMT-PFP coalition has already been decided. The two parties have to cooperate in future elections and in the legislature, otherwise we won't hold a majority," Ma said.
Asked about his absence from former KMT chairman Lien Chan's (
"It makes no difference whether Chairman Soong and I meet sooner or later. We reached a consensus on Dec. 1. The problem is turning our consensus into a written statement acceptable to both parties," he said.
Ma and Soong held a secret meeting on Dec. 1, at which the two claimed to have discussed the possibility of a KMT-PFP coalition. Although the two reached a consensus on the issue, Ma insisted they did not sign any secret agreements.
Most CSC members were dissatisfied with the KMT's draft on a KMT-PFP coalition, which suggested that the two parties jointly nominate candidates for next year's elections.
It also stated that the parties should make concessions for each other in certain districts to maintain the pan-blue majority in the legislature.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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