The office of former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday rejected speculation that she would pair with Winston Wang (王文洋), estranged son of late Formosa Plastics Group founder Wang Yung-ching (王永慶), and contest the 2012 presidential election.
In a statement, Lu’s office dismissed the speculation as groundless, saying rumors may travel, but they stop at a wise man.
The Chinese-language China Times reported in yesterday’s edition that Winston Wang’s close friend, talk show host Wang Ben-hu (汪笨湖), revealed that Lu, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and Winston Wang were the favorite pairing of a “third force.”
The report quoted Wang Ben-hu as saying that someone close to Lu recently made inquiries about Winston Wang’s interest in pairing with her to run in 2012. The report said while the country is divided politically, Wang Ben-hu thought it was important to have a “third force.”
Regarding who would lead the “third force,” Wang Ben-hu, who reportedly is also close to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), was quoted as saying that Lu would likely join an alliance of Lee, Winston Wang, People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and outgoing Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), who withdrew from the DPP in August to run as an independent in the Greater Kaohsiung mayoral election last month.
Lu’s office did say yesterday that many people hope she could “continue to serve the people of Taiwan” after leaving office in May 2008.
Saying the country will face unprecedented challenges at home and abroad in the coming years, Lu urged the DPP to come up with a candidate nominating system that was open and fair.
She also urged her party to refrain from “working alone.”
She did not elaborate in the statement, except to say that: “Not only must the DPP win, but Taiwan must also win.”
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