Remark only boosting Soong's power: DPP

However, Kuomintang (KMT) members interviewed by yesterday’s Chinatimes Express vehemently denied such reports, saying both the PFP and KMT fully understood that they had to work together if they were to be a force strong enough to beat the DPP politically.

DPP members said yesterday that Soong made the declaration to assist the PFP to replace the KMT as the second strongest party in Taiwan.

DPP sources was quoted in the Chinatimes Express as saying Soong had chosen his words carefully and his declaration amounted to a temporary tactical retreat. While it appeared his declaration on Saturday was in support of KMT Chairman Lien Chan, it was in fact intended to set the stage for him to later steal the leadership of the KMT-PFP coalition or “pan-blue” alliance.

The same DPP sources also claimed that the end-of-year legislative elections play a large part in Soong’s strategic thinking. His ultimate goal is for the PFP to win more seats in the legislature in these elections so that it will replace the KMT as the island’s second-largest opposition party and pave the way for Soong’s presidential bid in 2008.

They further said it appeared on the surface that Soong was helping Chan with his declaration. His comments suited Chan’s strategic interests by helping to heal a rift within the KMT.

Reports have said that the ethnic Taiwan division of the KMT is gradually becoming alienated from the supporters of the KMT who are mainlanders. Soong is a mainlander and enjoys support from this minority, however, ethnic Taiwanese in the KMT distrust him.

While Soong’s declaration may have helped Lien Chan heal divisions in the party, the sources said, ultimately it was made with his own interests in mind.

KMT members who spoke to the Chinatimes Express quashed such speculation.

They said both the KMT and PFP leadership understood intuitively the phrase “united we stand and divided we fall”, and that the two parties would continue to promote each other’s politicians in the legislative elections. Strategic planners in both opposition parties fully understood that if the KMT and PFP were at loggerheads, the only winner would be the ruling DPP, they said.

The KMT members also commented on Friday’s violent incidents at the Central Election Commission and the fact that they were allegedly perpetrated by some PFP politicians

Asked whether they thought these incidents would harm the KMT’s image, they responded by saying they were aware of the problem — but, from another perspective, social protests all over the world had supporters who preferred to use peaceful and rational means and supporters who preferred to take radical action. These two factions always worked together in social protests, they said.

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial will become a future meeting venue for KMT supporters and the party plans to ask scholars and experts to give lectures there.

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