Members of an international group of supporters of President Chen Shui-bian (
Wu Li-pei (
"President Chen does not have sufficient political power to implement his policies and agenda because currently the DPP is not the majority in the legislature," Wu said.
"We want to do whatever is good for Taiwan and good for the people who live here and that is why we want to back up the president by supporting DPP candidates," he said.
He said that helping the Chen administration eliminate "black gold" politics and achieve a legislative majority were the two aims of the Global A-bian Family, said Wu, chairman of Taiwan's General Bank, speaking at a press conference.
Members who attended the press conference yesterday showed their support by shouting, "Go! A-bian!" and "Long live Taiwan!"
More than 340 members of the group have returned to Taiwan to join the election campaign from 40 different branch offices around the world.
The Global A-bian Family was organized in 1994 when Chen was Taipei City mayor. When the president made a stopover in Houston, Texas, during a visit to Central America last year, the organization held a reception for him.
Asked whether the organization, set up with the aim of bolstering support for the DPP government, would campaign for the TSU, Wu responded, "Our organization only supports DPP candidates because that is the whole purpose of the organization.
"Members are of course entitled to support candidates outside the DPP but not to campaign for them under the auspices of the organization."
"Maybe a lot of people don't know," said Tsai Jen-tai (蔡仁泰), chairman of Asia Bank, whose headquarters are in New York City, and an advisor to the organization.
"Actually, many of our members are not DPP members. For instance, about three to four years ago, I was actually the chairman of the Global Lee Teng-hui Family."
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