No 'KMT-TPP collaboration' deal: Ko's spokeswoman
ROC Central News Agency
09/05/2023 01:49 PM
Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) A spokeswoman for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) on Tuesday rejected a media report that stated the party chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had reached a deal with the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) to collaborate in the presidential and legislative elections next January.
The Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine reported Tuesday that the two opposition parties had set collaboration timetables and were expected to unveil their plans for the legislative election this month and the presidential election next month.
While it avoided defining "collaboration," the report hinted that Ko was set to be the running mate of KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), and included two quotes as backup.
"Naturally, political leaders can chat among themselves" as long as the discussion is not premised on "distribution of power and positions," Ko said on Sept. 2 at a campaign event in Taoyuan, in response to a reporter's request for comments on recent remarks by Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) that a collaboration between Hou and Ko would be settled in September.
"Politicians don't create the waves, they are propelled by them. Oftentimes, it's the people that make decisions for us," Ko said at the time.
The report also cited KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) as saying recent talks with the TPP on a possible collaboration were "gleaning new progress and results every day."
The "collaboration" was decided because Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who announced his presidential bid as an independent candidate on Aug. 28, had tried to strongarm the KMT into "yielding to him," which motivated the party to "distance itself from Gou and instead approach Ko," Mirror Media reported, citing an unnamed KMT Central Standing Committee member.
In an apparent change of tone from Ko's remarks on Sept. 2, Ko's campaign office on Tuesday vehemently denied the report.
"The report is pure fabrication," Vicky Chen (陳智菡), a spokeswoman for Ko's campaign office, told reporters.
"We have no timetable for a KMT-TPP collaboration, much less a so-called 'two-step integration,'" Chen said.
"The Ko office has its own plans and pacing, and Ko Wen-je will campaign resolutely until the end as the TPP's candidate," Chen said.
According to Chen, the office will start introducing Ko's campaign platform this month, beginning with healthcare and long-term care policies, which will be unveiled Wednesday.
(By Sean Lin)
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