The People First Party (PFP) will not give way in regions where it has a chance of success in the year-end mayoral and county commissioner elections, said PFP Chairman James Soong (
Speaking to the Taipei Times, PFP Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) verified reports of a conversation he had with Soong, Saturday, about the year-end elections, while discussing his own decision to refuse an invitation to meet with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal.
According to Lin, Soong had an hour-long conversation with Lin on Saturday in which he emphasized that the PFP will continue to "follow its own road," despite having possibly alienated the administration with his lawsuit against President Chen Shui-bian (
Soong filed suit against Chen this week for comments by Chen on May 8 accusing Soong of meeting with Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office director Chen Yunlin (
Furthermore, Lin said, Soong also realizes that the PFP and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) must have some level of cooperation in the year-end elections, given the overlap in their voter bases. However, Lin said, Soong was insistent that the PFP will not "give way to better candidates" in regions that the PFP feels its candidates can win seats, such as Keelung City and Nantou County.
Meanwhile, Lin talked about an apparent snub to the US' de facto ambassador in Taiwan.
Speaking in regards to the PFP's recent decision to refuse an invitation to meet with Paal, Lin said that he had decided not to go because he did not see the purpose of attending.
In a bid to push the passage of a controversial NT$480 billion special arms procurement plan, Paal has invited the legislature's Defense Committee members to a lunch reception, to be held on Thursday.
"It would be no use to go eat at this reception, given the sensitivity of the issue, and this would cause only misperception," Lin said, adding that he personally has no bad feelings towards Paal.
It would be a different situation, Lin said, should he have the opportunity to have an uninterrupted meeting with Paal about the arms budget, however.
When asked by the Taipei Times if his decision might have been affected by recent comments from PFP Spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (
Hsieh said May 26 that the party would boycott the controversial special arms purchase budget until President Chen Shui-bian apologized for the comments about the supposed meet between Soong and Chen Yunlin.
"Basically these two things [the PFP's attitude on the budget and its demands for an apology from Chen] should not be put together. While Chen should apologize for his groundless accusation, it is too emotional to connect the two," Lin said, adding that he was not someone anyone could "pressure."
Lin said that the PFP would not send other party members in his place to attend the reception.
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