|
DPP worried over Chen Chih-chung
NEW FACTION?Supporters say Chen Shui-bian’s son must be
elected even if it costs the party a seat, while prosecutors have appealed a
not-guilty verdict against Chen Shui-bian
By Flora Wang / Staff Reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday said they feared a call
by pro-localization groups for voters to support former president Chen
Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son in the Greater Kaohsiung City councilor election tomorrow
could affect the party’s performance.
Calling on voters to act “wisely,” DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said the
groups’ support for Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the former president’s son, could
hurt the party in the elections.
Chen Chih-chung is running as an independent candidate for the city councilor in
Kaohsiung’s 10th electoral district of Cianjhen and Siaogang, against four
candidates nominated by the DPP, four from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
and six others.
During a rally for Chen Chih-chung on Wednesday night, -Northern Taiwan Society
president Janice Chen (陳昭姿) told participants it was more important to help Chen
Chih-chung get elected than to help DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) win the
mayoral race in Sinbei City, the soon-to-be-renamed Taipei County.
Pro-localization groups also urged voters to concentrate their votes on Chen
Chih-chung even if this meant the DPP loses a seat in the electoral district.
The former president’s mother, Chen Lee Shen (陳李慎), who also attended the rally,
called on voters to elect Chen Chih-chung.
A tearful Chen Lee Shen, who is in her eighties, said she could only depend on
her grandson now that her son faces 19 years in jail, while her daughter-in-law
will also be imprisoned.
In a Nov. 11 ruling, the former president and his wife were convicted of
accepting bribes related to a land purchase deal and facilitating a financial
appointment.
Approached by reporters at the legislature yesterday, KMT legislators accused
Chen Chih-chung of using his grandmother to sway voters during the rally.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said Chen Chih-chung was exploiting Chen Lee
Shen, adding that he was trying to establish his own political faction with the
support of pro-localization groups.
KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said she felt sorry for Chen Lee Shen, adding
that she was being taken advantage of by her grandson.
In related news, prosecutors said they had appealed a Nov. 5 not guilt verdict
in favor of Chen Shui-bian in a financial scandal involving two high-profile
bank mergers.
“We filed the appeal as the ruling had many flaws ... and as Chen did use his
position to interfere with the mergers,” the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said in
a statement.
The former president scored a rare legal victory when the Taipei District Court
cleared him of wrongdoing in the financial case earlier this month due to lack
of evidence.
|
