Fri, Feb 01, 2002 page3

• DPP has yet to decide on supporting Wang

  • By Ko Shu-ling and Lin Mei-chun / STAFF REPORTERS
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  In addition to deciding to stay out of the speakership race, the DPP legislative caucus yesterday unanimously pledged to throw their weight behind the party's nominee for the post of legislative vice speaker, Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌).

  However, the party refused to voice their support for the leading candidate for the speakership, the incumbent Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of the KMT, until tomorrow morning when the caucus is scheduled to hold a meeting on the subject.

  Lin Feng-hsi (林豐喜), convenor of the DPP legislative caucus, made the announcement after a two-hour closed-door discussion late yesterday afternoon.

  The vote for the speakership is scheduled to take place this morning, while the vote for the vice- speakership would take place in the afternoon.

  Accompanying Lin at the press conference, DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said the final decision on whether the party will unanimously support Wang will be made under the recommendation of Hong and the party's ad hoc campaign team.

  "As soon as the party decides who to support, we'll make sure all the votes go to the favored candidates as planned," Tsai said.

  In a bid to reach this goal, the party will form a supervisory team to oversee the vote-casting process to make sure party members cast their votes to the candidates endorsed by the party.

  "We'll make sure all of the DPP's 89 votes go to Hong and whoever the party endorses," said Chou Po-lun (周伯倫), another DPP legislative whip.

  The four-person supervisory team is composed of lawmakers Lin Chung-mo (林重謨), Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) and Chiou Yi-ying (邱議瑩).

  DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) dismissed speculation that the party's decision to stay out of the speaker race was because the party cannot find any suitable candidate from its ranks.

  "To stay out of the race is a well thought-out plan since we, as the largest party in the legislature, would like to see stability in the legislature," Hsieh said.

  Tsai commented that, although DPP lawmaker Trong Chai (蔡同榮) had originally planned to pair with another DPP lawmaker, Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑), they were eventually dissuaded from doing so by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

  Chang Chuang-tien (張川田), deputy convenor of the DPP legislative caucus, called on the KMT to respect the fact that the DPP is the largest party in the legislature.

  "I hope the KMT realizes that it's the desire of the general public to see stability in the legislature, and the best way to reach this goal is to have Wang of the KMT elected as the speaker and Hong of the DPP elected as the vice speaker," he said.

  As for the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), although Wang did not respond directly to the TSU's request that he support Hong's bid, the TSU still decided to throw its support behind Wang on the basis that he had shown "implicit goodwill to the party."

  At a press conference during his visit to TSU headquarters yesterday afternoon, Wang again refused to state his preference for deputy.

  But sources in the TSU said that Wang had expressed goodwill toward the party during closed-door discussions, and that there should be no problem for Hong to be elected deputy speaker today.

  "It is inconvenient for [Wang] to declare who he supports [as his deputy] but it was a very friendly conversation ? Wang has expressed his goodwill to us," sources said.

  Sources said Hong should be able to count on getting 118 votes today, 5 more than the 113 needed to secure election. There are 225 seats in the legislature.

  Despite former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) open endorsement of Wang on Wednesday, this was Wang's second visit of the week to the TSU to secure the 13 votes of the newly elected TSU legislators.

  Wang said he was grateful for the support of Lee, the KMT, the People First Party and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). He promised that, if elected today, he would remain politically neutral.

  But when asked by reporters whether he supported Hong, Wang said, "I will respect the choice of the people."
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