The People First Party (PFP) is starting to look for potential sites for a campaign office in Taipei City for PFP Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) presidential bid, a party official said yesterday.
However, there is little chance the party will establish a national campaign headquarters as the PFP does not have that kind of financial backing, said the official, who declined to be named.
Soong on Sept. 20 announced that National Taiwan University professor emeritus Lin Ruey--shiung (林瑞雄) would be his running mate in the Jan. 14 presidential election, if he does run.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The PFP official said Soong’s decision to participate in the January presidential election had brought back together some of Soong’s old team from his days as Taiwan’s provincial governor (1993-1998).
The party however declined to make a list in case there might be change of heart. According to the official, many still work in government agencies and are not disposed to make public appearances, while some have retired or are not even in the country.
Soong began meeting with members of his old team about two months ago, the official said, -adding that while former National Fire Agency director-general Chao Gang (趙鋼) was willing to return, former deputy provincial governor Wu Jung-ming (吳容明) had declined.
With supporters in Greater Taichung offering to provide office space for Soong’s national campaign effort, the party initially considered launching Soong’s campaign there, but an inspection of the space deemed it inadequate, the official said.
The party is now considering setting up not a national campaign headquarters, but simply a campaign office in Taipei, the official said, adding that if possible, the PFP wanted to set up the office by the end of this month, to help integrate campaign work, as PFP officials are currently working separately.
Soong has expressed confidence that he would be able to collect the 1 million signatures he he set for himself as a target to throw his hat in the ring, far more than the 257,695 he officially needs to take part.
The discrepancy has fed skepticism about Soong’s true motives, with many observers suggesting he has no real intention of following through on his run for the presidency.
In a TV interview on Thursday, Soong, when asked if he was determined to run for the presidency, said: “Of course I will campaign to the end. Otherwise, why would I have spent so much time raising funds, running ads and finding a running mate?”
“I will show you I can achieve that,” he added, referring to his goal of collecting 1 million signatures.
Additional reporting by AP and CNA
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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