TAIWAN: DPP propaganda to focus on KMT 'lying, stealing'

The party plans to challenge the KMT about assets it had allegedly acquired from the Japanese government, as well as its inconsistent campaign promises

Taipei Times
Friday, December 19, 2003

By Chang Yun-ping

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday decided to focus its campaign propaganda on the huge party assets the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) acquired while it was in power, as well as its recent shift on the issue of sovereignty.

Wu Nai-jen, the head of the DPP's campaign propaganda department, said yesterday that the party has started work on a TV commercial that would describe how the KMT stole people's property and its unwillingness to return these assets.

"The party has received instruction from the core campaign decision-making body to make the theme of our next TV commercial the KMT's party asset problem, including how it used to steal money from the government coffers and how it refuses to handle the return of the property now," Wu said.

The KMT has been lying about its party assets and dodging the responsibility of returning these assets, Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang, the DPP's chief campaign manager, said yesterday.

"The new TV commercial will show how inconsistent the KMT has been in its words and actions in dealing with the party assets, including those properties the KMT took over directly from the Japanese government," Su said.

The other main theme of the party's new propaganda drive will be challenging the KMT's position on the issue of national sovereignty following recent remarks by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, director general of the pan-blue camp's presidential campaign organization.

Su said Wang's remarks that the pan-blue alliance would not rule out independence as one of the options for Taiwan's future obviously contradict KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan's promise to push for direct cross-strait flights in two years if he is elected president next year.

"Wang and Lien's stances are in stark contrast. We are confused about whether Lien or Wang is running the presidential campaign," Su said.

Meanwhile, as the campaign picks up speed with the election 92 days away, the party will arrange special training camps for local campaigners to improve communication and the dissemination of propaganda.

The party will hold a two-day training course in Tainan City this weekend where party heavyweights will share experience and strategies with other party members.

The five key figures in the DPP's campaign team will also attend the training camps.

These five heavyweights are Premier Yu Shyi-kun, director-general of the campaign, Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang, campaign manager, Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh, campaign chief in southern Taiwan, DPP Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung, overall chief commander, and Secretary General of the Presidential Office Chiou I-jen, the campaign's executive director.

Former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung will also attend the training camps.

The former party leader will also present a series of lectures on the importance of referendums in Taiwan's democratization process.

Date Posted: 12/19/2003