The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance, noting that the election is fast approaching, yesterday urged President Chen Shui-bian (
"With election day less than 33 days away, we would like to hereby ask Chen's campaign camp why Chen has so far yet to publicize his white papers?" alliance spokesman Alex Tsai (
Tsai said the alliance's presidential hopeful, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"Yet, look at Chen, what has he done so far aside from constantly smearing Lien and exaggerating the amount of Lien's assets?" Tsai said.
Describing Lien as a steady individual with a sense of responsibility who had proposed many substantial policies, Tsai said Chen's campaign team should make its national platforms available for public scrutiny.
Regarding the second televised debate between the two camps' presidential candidates, scheduled for Saturday, Tsai said the alliance would respect the debate sponsors' choice of panelists to ask the candidates questions.
When it was suggested to him that Lien appeared the weaker of the two candidates in last Saturday's debate, Tsai said Lien didn't feel it was a setback "because he knows clearly what his strong points are."
Lien feels that style -- not verbal trickery -- is what counts the most in a debate, Tsai said.
Tsai added that while Lien feels that he could work on presenting his view more comprehensively in the question-and-answer session with Chen during the next debate, he would not directly attack Chen in the debate because "such acts are not appropriate for a national leader."
Meanwhile, former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday visited Lien at the KMT's headquarters and asked him to help promote legislative reforms and support the cause of building a "nuclear-free homeland."
Lin had visited Lien with the same appeal in December, when Lien agreed to Lin's request to ask the KMT legislative caucus to start discussions on halving the number of legislative seats and complete the move by the end of the last legislative session.
Little progress has been made on the proposal since then.
Lin yesterday again asked Lien to use his influence as party chairman to persuade his party's legislators to begin discussions on reducing the number of legislative seats during the current legislative session.
Saying that he agreed that the number of lawmakers should be reduced from the current 223 to 113, Lien told Lin yesterday that he would dispatch KMT policy convener Tseng Yung-chuan(
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