Fri, Dec 06, 2002 page3

• Ma's snub upsets PFP legislator

  DIVIDED CAMP Liu Wen-hsiung said the Taipei mayor should have supported PFP candidates in the city council race, but Ma said KMT rules prohibit him from doing so

  • By Chang Yun-Ping / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the KMT had already set up rules forbidding him from stumping for councilor candidates outside of his party, amid criticism from a PFP lawmaker that he is being arrogant by refusing to campaign for the PFP's candidates.

  PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) yesterday criticized Ma for rejecting a PFP offer to campaign for him and warned pan-blue voters to avoid giving Ma overwhelming support.

  "I think he has become too arrogant due to his popularity. Don't give him too strong a showing so that he won't become worse," Liu said.

  Liu accused Ma of breaking the tacit agreement of KMT-PFP cooperation.

  "In the legislative showdown on some key legislation, we have always been giving a hand to the KMT, but Ma simply refused to stump for PFP city councilor candidates," the lawmaker said.

  In response to Liu's remarks, Ma said yesterday that he "appreciated the criticism and would not become an arrogant person."

  "I'll be more humble and conduct a self-examination regarding Liu's opinions," the mayor said.

  Foreign observers

  Ma made the comments at a press conference for the foreign media and academics who are in Taiwan to observe the elections.

  Ma explained that the KMT had made a rule in August that stated its Taipei mayoral candidate could stump only for KMT councilor candidates.

  "According to the KMT's rule, I can't campaign for any candidates outside of the KMT. In the past, a party member who stumped for candidates of other parties could have been expelled," Ma said.

  However, the mayor added that he been flexible on the matter for the sake of pan-blue cooperation.

  "I did make little exceptions to this rule. I have stumped for the PFP incumbent councilors, including Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and Deng Chia-chi (鄧家基) when they launched their campaign offices, and I even lifted their hands to wish them success," Ma said.

  Ma called on PFP supporters to understand his dilemma and to be farsighted about cooperation between the parties.

  "There are wrinkles for sure, but I think cooperation will be very important for both parties in the future. Neither one can compete alone with the DPP and win," Ma said.

  `What about taipei?'

  Meanwhile, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) yesterday staged a speech in front of City Hall to deliver a letter to government staff saying the city's global competitiveness has been slumping.

  "Shanghai has won its bid to hold the World Expo 2010, and Beijing will hold the Olympic Games in 2008. What about Taipei?" Lee asked.

  "Construction of a domed stadium has been put off for four years and I think the mayor has to be held accountable," he said.

  Ma's camp called on Lee's team to stop attacking the incumbent mayor.

  "There are masses of ads in newspapers containing untruthful accusations about Ma and most of them are purely personal attacks, calling Ma a spy or a big liar, for example," said King Pu-tsun (金溥聰), Ma's campaign spokesman.

  "At the last minute before the election, Lee's camp should stop such malicious mudslinging and revert to a gentleman's competition [which both parties had called for in the beginning]," King said.

  In response, Lee's campaign team said that the newspaper ads were based on hard proof, referring to an ad about Ma's secret spying for the then KMT regime when he studied at Harvard University in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
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