Playing down the political implications of a shooting incident on the eve of Saturday’s elections, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said it will support any effort to discover the truth behind the incident.
“The KMT supports calls for the truth behind the incident, and we’ve tried very hard to prevent the incident from affecting the election,” KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said.
Su made the remarks in response to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) challenge over the shooting’s impact on the result of Saturday’s elections, in which the DPP lost in Taipei, Sinbei (the new name for Taipei County after its status upgrade on Dec. 25) and Greater Taichung. Tsai also urged prosecutors to get to the bottom of the shooting as soon as possible.
Several polls before the election suggested a neck-and-neck battle between candidates in Taipei and Sinbei cities. Many believe that the shooting helped Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and incoming Sinbei mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) win their elections by decisive margins.
Su dismissed Tsai’s challenge, saying the KMT has been calling on the public to remain calm in the wake of the incident.
“It is the KMT that tried to prevent the incident from affecting the election result,” he said, adding that Tsai had likely come under pressure from within the DPP.
Sean Lien (連勝文), a son of former KMT party chairman Lien Chan (連戰), was shot in the face on Friday night when campaigning for a Sinbei City councilor candidate in Yonghe (永和), Taipei County. The man, nicknamed “Horse Face,” was detained on the scene, and police are still investigating the case.
Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as KMT chairman, yesterday called on elected mayors in Taipei, Sinbei and Greater Taichung to maintain their integrity and dedicate their work to meeting public expectations.
The KMT won Saturday’s elections in the three cities.
“Our achievements in this -election did not come easy. I am grateful for the result, and I expect the mayors-elect to start planning for the future as soon as possible,” Ma said.
At a separate setting yesterday, KMT and DPP lawmakers continued to bicker over the shooting, accusing each other of political wrangling.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) accused the KMT of taking advantage of questions from DPP lawmakers about the case to attack the DPP and label it as “inhumane.”
“Does [the KMT] really want to incite wrangling between the pan-blue and the pan-green camps with the shooting, too?” Lee said.
He was referring to criticism from KMT legislators in response to remarks made by DPP legislators Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) and Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), who alleged earlier this week that the -shooting might have been staged. Twu also alleged that the shooter might have been coached on how to shoot Sean Lien so that he could injure his face without killing him.
Sean Lien has made a speedy recovery over the past three days, and is able to speak, eat and get out of bed, prompting questions from netizens about the authenticity of the shooting. Some DPP legislators urged National Taiwan University Hospital, where Sean Lien is being treated, to put the public’s doubts to rest.
Lee yesterday urged the government to set up a special committee to probe the shooting and called for publication of developments about Sean Lien’s recovery.
KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春), who visited Sean Lien in the hospital on Tuesday, decried the DPP’s remarks and said he became very emotional when reading the allegations in the newspaper.
Kuo said that although Sean Lien has been transferred to a regular hospital ward from the intensive care unit, he could only consume fluids while his eyes remained swollen. Kuo urged the DPP to be more sympathetic.
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