08, declared yesterday he will "wait and see" what is going to unfold in Taiwan's quickly changing political horizon. Addressing a Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences student assembly, while Ma Ying-jeou was grilled at a Taipei district court trial hearing, Wang said he had suggested the opposition party name "someone else" in place of the former Kuomintang chairman who might be convicted.
All but set to be nominated for president, Ma is standing trial for corruption. He was indicted on February 13 for allegedly misusing his personal expense account when he served as Taipei mayor, and may be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, if proven guilty.
"I made that suggestion," Wang said. "But that's not what I think now."
As usual, Wang never said what he meant.
But Wang never hides his ambition to seek the nation's highest public office. Though he has decided not to take part in the party primary scheduled for May 26, the parliament speaker wishes he would take Ma's place if the court hands down a guilty verdict.
On the other hand, Wang told the students and faculty of the Kaohsiung university that Ma, who is seeking the nomination at the primary unopposed, may ask him to be the running mate.
"There will be no Wang-headed ticket for 2008," the leader of the legislature conceded.
Whether the ticket headed by Ma may be voted for, Wang went on, "depends on what's going to happen in the next 11 months."
Taiwan's political situation is in flux, Wang said. "I'm waiting to learn how public opinion will turn in the next couple of months," he added.
All this meant he has adopted a wait-and-see stance vis-a-vis his candidacy for 2008.
A good chance may present itself, if the Legislative Yuan adopts an amendment to the Law Governing the Election and Recall of the President and the Vice President.
The amendment, sponsored by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, will make it mandatory to disqualify anyone convicted of corruption at the first trial from a presidential race.
While all People First Party lawmakers were absent, the DPP and its ally Taiwan Solidarity Union rammed through the proposal to report on the amendment yesterday afternoon.
If PFP legislators should keep away from the next plenary session, the amendment might be referred for committee deliberation for the first reading.
The Kuomintang vowed to oppose the deliberation on the amendment, but its ally PFP may not go along. The chances are that if the PFP does not cooperate, the amendment may be passed and Ma Ying-jeou barred from running for president.
Terms of use