Leading political figures in earthquake-stricken Nantou County came out in support of Vice President and KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday in what they said was a bid to guarantee ongoing post-quake reconstruction work in their area. A massive earthquake hit the region on Sept. 21, 1999, killing around 2,500 people nationwide, most in that county.
Nantou County Commissioner Peng Pai-hsien (彭百顯), accompanied by Provincial Chairman Chao Shou-po (趙守博), clarified his support for Lien during an unexpected announcement yesterday morning.
Peng, a former DPP member, had once been regarded as a strong supporter of DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) -- whom he worked with to form the Justice Alliance (正義連線) in the early 1990s, before leaving the party in 1997 to run for office in Nantou.
"I have no choice but Lien," said Peng. "Among the five candidates' camps, Lien's is the only one to respond to my requests for NT$7 billion in reconstruction funds."
Nantou, one of the poorest counties in Taiwan, has yet to fully recover from the impact of the 921 earthquake, largely due to a lack of reconstruction funds.
"Since Feb. 1, I have called for help from the five candidates, to endorse a reconstruction paper for disaster areas, but have only received a response from President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝)," Peng said, adding that Lee promised he would ask the Ministry of Finance to reform Taiwan's financial system to meet local financial demands before leaving office in May.
"We have to support Lien in order to ensure post-quake reconstruction in Nantou, to promote the KMT and to continue Lee's path of democratic reforms," Peng said, adding that Lee's main contributions toward Taiwan included holding its first direct presidential election and making the "special state-to-state" statement last July.
Among the influential local political figures attending Peng's press conference yesterday's were the speaker of the Nantou County Council, Cheng Wen-tung (
Lien met Peng last night to show his appreciation for the endorsement, saying he would work on post-quake reconstruction in Nantou together with Peng.
Lien also promised Peng that he would establish a committee to reform the KMT and promote the so-called "sunshine laws" that are designed to make politics cleaner and more transparent.
To gain more support from local residents, Lien attended a large assembly requesting post-quake construction in Nantou and expressed his resolution to solve existing problems left by the 921 earthquake.
However, campaign officials for Lien's main opponents -- independent James Soong (
"I don't think Peng's support will be a positive factor for Lien, because surveys have shown that he was ranked the least favorite county chief in Taiwan," said Chen Chen-sheng (
DPP legislator Tsai Huang-lang (蔡煌瑯), speaking for Chen, said Peng's implication that the other candidates did not care for reconstruction was unfair, because actually his party was the only one which had responded to Peng's request at a press conference held in Taipei earlier this month.
Some critics said that Peng had been "kidnapped" by the government's construction funds.
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