Farmers' Party update

Nothing really happened on this today; just what you'd expect. China Post noted that Farmers and Fishermens associations would join hands with timber and livestock industries for the party. Also, read Michael Turton's great article on Farmers Associations and rural politics.

Ma Ying-jeou suggested while talking to the media that Wang Jin Pyng be the KMT bridge to the Farmer's Party people and go "communicate with them" (read: talk them out of forming the party). Wang declined, stating:

「我沒有接到這樣一個，命令也好，或者是這樣要求也好，並沒有收到，這個黨的組成跟我一點關係也沒有，大家都很清楚的，那又何必一定要怎樣」。

"I haven't gotten anything [about talking to the Farmers' Party] -- no order, no request, I haven't got anything like that at all. [The Farmers' Party]'s formation has nothing at all to do with me, everybody is very clear on that. So why is it that I must do something?"

Wang also pointed out that there are people in the KMT Central Standing Committee closer to those forming the party than Wang himself is, a hint that there's no reason to automatically suspect him. He said he got no advance notice no this one.

The China Times has an interesting article about how small farmers are not excited. Of course, the China Times is printing this as a preemptive strike to minimize the force of the new party, but it raises a great point -- the people who often run the farmer's and fishermen's associations are generally black gold people who care little for the farmers or fishermen, and those commoners get ignored by both parties until an election is around the corner.

TVBS is reporting that the parties slogans include "We want to destroy the KMT and split the DPP." But I seriously doubt this, as I've seen it nowhere else and it would be extremely provocative.

Here's the English articles on it for today:
Wang Jin-pyng denies link to new political party (Taipei Times)
'Farmers' Party' to be inaugurated on June 15 (China Post)