Sun, Aug 18, 2002 page3

• Lien gets the KMT nod for 2004

  AMBITION The party faithful decided to back another run by Lien for the nation's top spot yesterday, but opposition cooperation remains a goal rather than a reality

  • By Tsai Ting-I / SATFF REPORTER
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  The KMT Central Committee yesterday endorsed the nomination of its chairman, Lien Chan (連戰), as its 2004 presidential candidate, but the opposition cooperation upon which his nomination depends remains problematic.

  Lien vowed to succeed in what he said will be "the second power transition," in order to "safeguard the Republic of China."

  

  KMT Chairman Lien Chan raises the hands of the party's nominee for Taipei Mayor, the incumbent Ma Ying-jeou, right, and the party's nominee for Kaohsiung City Mayor, Huang Junying, left, at the second plenary meeting of the party's 16th Central Committee session yesterday.

  PHOTO: LIU HSUN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES

  "The DPP administration has led Taiwan into a series of constitutional, economic, social and cross-strait crises ?We should try our best to win back power to return happiness to the citizenry in 19 months," Lien told the KMT faithful at the opening of the second plenary session of the KMT's 16th Central Committee.

  The Central Committee is the KMT's highest level decision-making body, which holds a plenary session every year.

  Since their devastating loss in 2000, KMT officials have reiterated their desire to win back power, but have been vexed by the question of how to cooperate with the PFP in crafting a victory.

  On Aug. 12, Lien said on a TV show, hosted by independent legislator Sisy Chen (陳文茜), that his party is setting its sights on fielding a joint KMT-PFP ticket in the 2004 presidential poll, in which a KMT presidential candidate would team up with a PFP running mate.

  But before the two parties can cross the bridge leading to the presidential poll, they must deal with more immediate local-government elections.

  A case in point is the upcoming Kaohsiung mayoral election race, where the two main opposition parties have been trying, so far to no avail, to field a joint candidate. And even within the KMT, a huge rift over such cooperation has reportedly developed.

  According to the Chinese language media, the KMT had decided to give up on its own candidate, Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) and back the PFP's idea of supporting the independent candidate Chang Po-ya (張博雅).

  KMT officials, however, have denied the plan, saying that the decision hasn't yet been made.

  "If Chang is the PFP's nominee, I would have no problem supporting cooperation. But I can't agree to giving up our own candidate just to support an independent candidate," said KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), who represents Kaohsiung City in the legislature.

  The KMT and PFP have recommended that their respective choices vie for the KMT-PFP joint candidacy for Kaohisung mayor.

  They are former vice mayor of Kaohsiung Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) and PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄).

  But PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has proposed that the two parties take into account other candidates as well, such as Chang Po-ya and former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德), to be able to assess which candidate would have the best chance of beating DPP incumbent Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

  Chang is widely considered to have closer ties with the pan-green camp than with the opposition camp. But the PFP has proposed that Chang be taken into account when the KMT and PFP select their joint Kaohsiung mayoral candidate.

  At yesterday's meeting, Lien sought party support for incumbent Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for reelection to the post, but held back his recommendation for Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Jun-ying, who the party has named as its nominee.

  "The Kaohsiung mayoral election is very complicated. We will jointly nominate one candidate with the PFP after holding more discussions with them," Lien said.

  Huang was less conciliatory.

  "Our top leaders overly pander to the PFP over this issue. We don't have time to waste on the nomination. And if this cooperation doesn't work out, we [the pan-blue camp] will be destroyed in the 2004 presidential election."
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