Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) pledged yesterday to give the party's full assistance to president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) after his inauguration on May 20 and said the party will set up a negotiation mechanism to handle cooperation and division of labor between legislative and administrative sectors.
NEGOTIATIONS
As the KMT will be the ruling party after Ma's inauguration, the party's highest decision-making body -- the Central Standing Committee -- will be turned into a mechanism to handle negotiations between the Presidential Office, the legislature and the Executive Yuan to negotiate duties and division of labor in Ma's administration, Wu said.
"Ma Ying-jeou will lead the nation forward after May 20 and the KMT should give its full support to our president as the ruling party," Wu said when addressing the party's Central Standing Committee members at the KMT headquarters.
The committee will invite staff in the Presidential Office, the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan to attend a meeting and discuss cooperation among the three sectors, with the KMT serving as the negotiator, Wu said.
"So-called `one-party dominance' will not happen under the KMT. The party will assist party members in the legislative and administrative sectors to serve the people," he said.
Wu urged party officials and legislators to not ignore their responsibilities and to continue their reform efforts as the ruling party.
KING DECLINES
Meanwhile, Ma's top aide King Pu-tsung (
Ma yesterday confirmed that King, one of his top aides -- who has assisted him ever since he was elected Taipei as mayor in 1998 -- discussed the issue with him and decided not to join his administration.
Ma said he respected King's decision.
Su, on the other hand, also decided not to follow Ma into the Presidential Office and offered his resignation as the deputy head of the KMT's Communication and Cultural Committee.
Su will return to his old position as the director of the environmental protection department under the Taoyuan County Government.
HU DENIES
Another prospective Cabinet candidate, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), yesterday also denied that he would be a part of Ma's administration.
Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Ma's spokesman, said the list of Cabinet members would not be announced until next month.
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