Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday called on Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to broaden election and policy collaboration at a summit of the two party leaders in New Taipei City.
The KMT and TPP over the past year have deepened their collaboration from elections to the local level in a milestone of the nation’s democratic development, Cheng told a news conference.
The two parties should continue working together in elections for commissioners, mayors and local government councils to avoid competition that benefits the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), she said.
Photo: Wang Yi-song, Taipei Times
The opposition’s collaboration should be directed with an eye to aligning politics with the wishes of the public, which means the most immediately popular candidate should not necessarily obtain the leadership’s backing, Cheng said.
The KMT-TPP alliance’s main challenge is to win the local elections next year to ensure the continued survival of core democratic values and promote the opposition’s policies, she said.
The opposition parties must carve out a new path for their alliance by recognizing that their responsibility takes precedence over self-interest and that missteps of the past are not repeated.
Cheng said that she had little previous dealings with Huang, but is confident that the two share a common vision and belief about the future of the coalition.
The KMT and TPP’s collaboration would have to take a unique form, as Taiwan’s system of government is not fully presidential or parliamentary, she said, apparently referring to Huang’s comments suggesting the opposition strive to form coalition governments.
Asked whether the two parties have achieved a consensus regarding their China policy, Huang said that establishing foundational values and objectives would be more important than policy.
The DPP’s stance on Taiwanese independence is less important than finding ways to truly defend Taiwan’s way of life, Huang said.
Additional reporting by Shi Hsiao-kuang and Lin Che-yuan
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