Former president Lee Teng-hui (
He said that re-organization of the government is the way to preserve political stability, and it is the president's responsibility to detail to the public the content of the initiative, then seek to shore up support.
PHOTO: CHANG HSIEH-SHENG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee stressed that Chen and the DPP should lead the way in forming the pact, countering previous media reports that the TSU saw itself as the most vital part of the plan.
The former president made the remarks at a lunch banquet with members of the Taichung branch of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association.
Chen created a political uproar two weeks ago when he said he would like to resurrect the cross-party alliance at the legislature as a "platform for cooperation and dialogue."
The president first floated the idea in the lead up to December's legislative elections, but the proposal languished because lawmakers of the KMT and PFP refused to participate.
In his first public appearance since the hotly debated subject was raised, Lee took the opportunity to back the president's proposal.
He said during the past six months, people have come to realize the importance of a stable government and the value of having a regime led by Taiwanese. This need is what led to independence-minded Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) winning legislative approval to become head of the Examination Yuan, Lee stated.
Underscoring the importance of stability, Lee said he supports the creation of the alliance given the public's sagging confidence in opposition politicians.
But he emphasized that Chen should be the main driving force in bringing the group together, while the TSU would be an assisting body.
Reports have said the TSU may play a more important role in the pact than the DPP due to the TSU's friendly ties with the KMT.
Rumors suggest Lee has targeted a group of more than 30 pro-localization KMT lawmakers and tried to persuade them to participate in the pact, taking advantage what influence he still has in the party.
Speculation about a power-hungry TSU has reportedly strained relations between the two "pan-green" parties.
While throwing his weight behind Chen, Lee again expressed his dissatisfaction with KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lee said in the past he had advised Lien not to boycott the president and advised the KMT leader to examine his own weak-nesses, but added that Lien's mind-set of being a sore loser has not changed.
Lee was in Taichung to attend the opening ceremony of the local branch of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association. The organization acts a mechanism for the TSU to expand its grassroots influence.
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