I have no personal quarrel with the KMT. However, every time I read about how it seems unwilling to let go of power and accept defeat, I cannot help but feel a burning flame. The flame has burned down the last shred of sympathy I had for the KMT.
We are all watching to see what the winner of the presidential election will do next, but everyone seems to be keeping an even closer watch on how the losers are dealing with defeat.
What everyone would like to see the most is sportsmanship. Although we have no established precedence on the transfer of power, everyone agrees that the losers should do whatever it takes to demonstrate sportsmanship and avoid being overly critical. What everyone would like to see is an ability to engage in self-examination. People want to hear what the KMT has to say about their flaws and mistakes, rather than how others have wronged them. This is the only way for the KMT to learn from this past defeat, and be in a good position to regain power as an opposition party.
At the very least, the KMT should try its best to avoid association with terms such as poor loser, indeterminate, sour grapes, harsh on others, and not knowing its place, among others. Actually, not many people have the heart to condemn the KMT, because you could be easily accused of flogging a dead horse.
However, these negative comments against the KMT have never ceased.
Let us take the issue of a dozen KMT member's entry into the Cabinet as an example. From the unsuccessful proposal that the matter be decided by a party-to-party negotiation to the recent suggestion by some to revoke the party membership of these new Cabinet members, to the allegations that these people have begged for jobs with the DPP, to the remarks that the DPP have taken in nothing but rotten apples from the KMT ... all these incidents tell us one thing -- the KMT members who made these statements can't seem to get their stories straight. Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) organization of a cross-party Cabinet may be contrary to the norm of party politics, but nobody cares. Everyone is willing to give him a chance. No matter how hard the KMT tries to reason, and talk of principles, nobody cares, even if the KMT is right. Why? People have given the KMT far too many chances. What is there left to say now that the KMT has stepped aside?
It would be not be surprising if all the talented members of the KMT left the party, now that the KMT is out of power. It is also quite normal for people to seek jobs from the "new master." These things surprise no one, except those who have never been out of power before.
Are the KMT members recruited by the DPP rotten apples? Only time will tell. According to Chen, the new Cabinet may be diversified, but he and the DPP are ultimately responsible. The new Cabinet has nothing to do with the KMT at all. It makes one wonder whether the KMT are accusing members joining the Cabinet of being rotten apples precisely because these rotten apples are leaving the KMT. The KMT has failed to demonstrate any sense of justice by such behavior.
Some people would say that these people should have their party membership revoked, effectively cutting off all ties with the KMT so that the party could monitor their performance without having to show any mercy. This concept degrades the supervision of government officials into being mere tools for power struggles and retaliation. It also denies the legitimacy of the opposition parties' future tasks. Where do such foolish KMT members come from?
Can't the KMT learn to be silent for a minute? A defeated party has no right to talk in the first place. Frankly speaking, the KMT should shoulder all consequences for its loss of power. It should engage in self-examination and it should should take some time to settle down and give the winner some breathing space. Carefully observe the performance of the winner and wait for public comments on its performance. And keep an eye on the KMT too. Wait until after the completion of the transfer of power, when people no longer look at the KMT as a "kill joy," and see how it shifts into high gear and functions as a powerful opposition party. Then the KMT should be seen as a great opposition party, instead of just a "party pooper."
The more the KMT is seen as a stick in the mud, the easier it will be for people to turn away from the party.
If this is the new image of the KMT, the party might as well give up all thoughts of retaking power.
Chou Tien-jui is a former chairman of the board at Power News.
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