Sat, Apr 01, 2000 page3

• Soong elected chairman of the PFP

  NO SURPRISE After his election defeat, James Soong has swept to the top of his own new party with a potentially huge voter support base

  • By Erin Prelypchan / STAFF REPORTER
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  Fresh from his presidential election defeat at the hands of Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), James Soong (宋楚瑜) was elected temporary chairman of the new People First Party (PFP, 親民黨) to cheers and a standing ovation from several hundred party members gathered at Taipei's Grand Hotel.

  "Everyone is so enthusiastic. Other candidates didn't have a chance," said Soong's former presidential campaign manager, Liu Sung-pan (劉松藩), during the party's first general caucus.

  Liu himself nominated Soong, once a powerful figure in the KMT, for the chairmanship.

  

  Accepting the chairmanship of the People First Party, James Soong, right, raises the hand of the party's secretary-general and his former presidential campaign running mate, Chang Chao-hsiung, yesterday at the Taipei Grand Hotel.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  "During the campaign, we all felt the strong power from the people who yearn for positive change in the government," Soong said at the PFP inauguration.

  "We are going to consolidate that strength and strive for a better future for all," he said.

  Soong, whose term as chairman will last for two years, immediately nominated his presidential running mate, Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄), as his deputy.

  

  People line up to register as members of the PFP yesterday.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  The secretary-general of the party is likely to be former minister without portfolio David Chung (鍾榮吉), who Soong proposed for the post on Thursday.

  Chung quit both the KMT and the Cabinet in January, later joining Soong's failed presidential campaign.

  Later yesterday afternoon, the party officially registered at the Ministry of the Interior.

  Party members packed the ballroom at the Grand Hotel yesterday for the chairman's election, as well as an open discussion of the party's charter.

  The charter, drafted by Liu during the past three weeks, sets the minimum age for membership at 16 years old, and allows direct elections for chairman by all party members.

  The party hopes to encourage young people to participate in politics by lowering membership age, Soong said.

  The voting age in Taiwan is 20.

  The DPP, which beat out Soong for the presidency by a margin of nearly 3 percent, sent two representatives to yesterday's meeting, while DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) sent flowers for the occasion.

  Soong, however, was less charitable to the DPP in return.

  During a speech at the beginning of the meeting, Soong quoted former DPP spokesperson Sisy Chen's (陳文茜) assessment that he was as a political player to be reckoned with.

  "The most important thing in this election has been the `James Soong phenomenon.' His participation in the race has changed the face of Taiwanese electoral politics," Soong quoted Chen as saying.

  Sisy Chen quit the DPP in 1998 to become an independent political analyst, citing disillusionment with what she said was the DPP's failure to transform from an opposition to a potential ruling party.

  Soong also took credit for DPP President-elect Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) offer to open the "three links" with China before the end of the year and his choice of Minister of National Defense and KMT member Tang Fei (唐飛) as premier.

  "I talked about opening the three links a year ago ... and our team is serious about advocating cross-party alliances," Soong said.

  If it hadn't been for him, the KMT would never have reformed and Chen Shui-bian would never have offered to negotiate with China, he said.

  Soong has said his party will ensure that the new government does not attempt to push for independence.

  But even in the arcane language of cross-strait relations, Soong remains particularly vague about how he envisions Taiwan's future.

  "This isn't about reunification or independence. It's about uniting the power of the Chinese people for everyone's benefit," Soong said.

  The KMT, which expelled Soong for launching his independent presidential bid, sent neither flowers nor representatives to yesterday's opening.

  Analysts, meanwhile, said the PFP could take a large chunk of support from the KMT, which lost power to the DPP in the March 18 election.

  Soong had originally declined to form a new party, despite demands from his supporters that he continue to lead the 4.6 million people who voted for him.

  The PFP has seen the possible upcoming elections for the National Assembly as the first chance to get its foot in the door to official power.

  With fresh elections in the works for May 6, the DPP and KMT have agreed instead to marginalize the 334-seat Assembly, and to transfer most of its rights to the legislature.

  Some analysts say the move, while improving and streamlining Taiwan's legislative system, was also designed to bar the PFP from becoming a major third power in a strong Assembly.
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