Fri, Apr 25, 2003 page2

• Denials fail to dampen VP rumor

  PRESIDENTIAL POLL Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Jin-pyng said he did not talk about the election during meetings this month with President Chen Shui-bian

  • By Jimmy Chuang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Rumors that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) wants Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to be his running mate in next year's presidential election have triggered a great deal of discussion both inside and out of the legislature.

  A Chinese-language newspaper reported on Wednesday that Chen had picked Wang to be his running mate and that the two men had met earlier this month to discuss the possibility.

  In response to reporters' questions both on Wednesday and yesterday, Wang said he had met with Chen on April 2 and April 16, but not to discuss the election.

  Wang said they discussed the Cabinet's NT$50 billion job-creation program, the budget for the Navy's procurement of Kidd-class destroyers and the nomination of justices for the Council of Grand Justices.

  "Honestly, our meeting had nothing to do with any elections. I swear," Wang said.

  "We never mentioned anything about the election," he said.

  Wang said that it was normal for the president to meet with lawmakers and that Chen often does so. In addition, he said, it is also important and necessary for the president to occasionally consult with lawmakers on important issues affecting the country.

  Asked whether the rumors bother him, Wang said he did not care since the story was not true.

  "I am still the vice chairman of KMT and I will support the presidential candidate of my party," he said.

  Many lawmakers were eager to comment on the rumors yesterday.

  KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) said it would be impossible for Wang to join the DPP's presidential ticket next year.

  He said that as speaker of the legislator, Wang possesses real political power and the affection of fellow politicians. However, he added, if Wang were to become vice president, the power and affection would no longer exist since under the Constitution the job is a position without real power.

  "Wang is a smart guy. He under-stands that he will lose his job as the speaker if he decides to join the DPP's campaign. In addition, there have been no indications so far that he will leave either his job or the KMT," Apollo Chen said.

  "As a result, I will never believe such a rumor. Even it is not a rumor, I still believe that Wang will not accept such an invitation," he said.

  PFP Legislator Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) also found the rumor impossible to believe, but he said he thought the president must have discussed the possibility of a joint ticket with Wang.

  Pang also said Wang would not sacrifice his credibility and affection within the KMT to join the DPP's presidential campaign.

  "But remember, President Chen and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) used to attack each other politically from time to time. However, they still met to discuss the possibilities of working together before the last election. I mean, it happened before and it will happen again. That's politics," Pang said.

  TSU Legislator Cheng Chen-lung (程振隆) said that he will not be surprised at all if the rumor proved to be true.

  "The only end goal is to win and there is nothing wrong if the president invites Wang to be his partner, since Wang has good relationships with both the pan-blue and pan-green camps," Cheng said.

  "However, if Wang wants to win our support, he will have to recognize himself as a Taiwanese and affirm the pan-green camp's policies," Cheng said.

  TSU legislative caucus leader Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said he thought the rumor was simply part of the pan-blue camp's strategy.

  "Everybody knows that the vice-president's position is not an important one with real political power. As a result, the pan-blue camp needs to spread rumors like this one to create an image that their candidate (for the job) is still seeking it even though they are over qualified," Chen Chien-ming said.

  "The fact is the DPP will not decide on its vice-presidential candidate so early. But no matter what, President Chen's final decision will be respected," he said.

  Meanwhile, when approached by reporters yesterday afternoon, DPP Lawmaker Chang Ching-fang (張清芳) said that he had no comment on the rumor.
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