PFP Chairman James Soong's (
Most analysts believe Soong is the sole winner in this maneuver, as this will boost the PFP's campaign for Taipei City Council deputies while creating an impression that the KMT and Ma owe Soong credit -- a bargaining chip for Soong's 2004 presidential bid.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Trying to play down the political impact of the gesture, Soong yesterday said the purpose of the stunt was to block the DPP's attempts to divide blue-camp supporters.
"Don't presume his [Ma's] victory is secure. If we are careless and cause Ma to lose the election or win with a low share of the vote, Taiwanese people will suffer severe consequences," Soong said.
Soong said he is throwing his full support behind Ma because he has a consensus at KMT Lien Chan (連戰) and urged the public not to complicate the matter.
"As to how Ma will plan his career, I respect Ma's and the people's choices. This isn't something that can be influenced by a single individual," Soong said.
According to Soong, he will meet with Lien after the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections are over to discuss the two parties' plans for cooperating in the 2004 presidential election.
Soong surprised everyone when he knelt down to beg the audience to "support Ma Ying-jeou to win with a high number of votes" during a campaign rally Thursday night in Taipei for the PFP's candidates for city county deputies.
The move came just hours after PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
Liu's remarks, however, failed to win approval from pan-blue supporters, with many PFP candidates receiving angry phone calls Thursday afternoon.
Both Lien and Ma expressed their appreciation for Soong's support yesterday.
Lien predicted that people will see the solidarity of the opposition forces in today's polls.
"The people will display that force tomorrow and the outcome of the polls will be where our new hope lies," Lien said.
Ma explained that he could not accept the PFP's invitation because there has been strong opposition among KMT candidates running for the hotly contested seats on the Taipei City Council.
"We will cooperate with PFP city council members in the future," Ma said.
Despite the courteous speech, some KMT officials could hardly conceal their anger with Soong in private.
A high-ranking KMT official who spoke on condition of anonymity said there was "absolutely no grounds" for Soong to go down on his knees when Ma enjoys a comfortable lead over his DPP challenger, Lee Ying-yuan (
The KMT official said Soong's act could make the campaign a showdown between the pan-green and pan-blue camps and cause Ma to lose the support of most moderate and green-leaning voters -- a development Ma has been trying to avoid.
But Soong has nothing to lose from the move, as he can pacify the backlash against the PFP in the aftermath of Liu's remarks, boost the PFP's campaign and put Ma in a position where he owes him credit, the official said.
Lee, meanwhile, agreed that Soong's move will arouse the passions of voters and raise their sense of crisis, which he said will be advantageous to his campaign.
Lee called on voters to go to the polls today to make a crucial decision for the future development of Taipei.
Lee said the voters have got to know him and are satisfied with the policies that he proposed after his campaigning effort over the past months.
Lee questioned the justification of Ma setting a goal of winning 1 million votes given that the administrative efficiency, quality of city development and competitiveness of Taipei has declined during his term.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS