Many people placed high hopes that the KMT's 16th national congress -- its first since losing political power last year -- might lead the party to deep soul-searching and rejuvenation. They hoped the KMT's rebirth would help Taiwan build a healthier environment for party-political competition. The congress, however, turned out to be a total disappointment. Instead of having any far-reaching impact on Taiwan politics, the congress was blown out of the limelight by Typhoon Toraji.
The party set four keynote topics for the congress: reforms, monitoring government corruption, restructuring the party machine and "fighting for democracy, fighting for Taiwan's survival." But glib slogans aside, the congress remained locked in the party's ritual mindset of the past. There was no meaningful review of why the party lost last year's election. Nothing was said about the future direction of either the KMT or Taiwan. The centenarian KMT appears to be suffering from Alzheimer's -- unable to remember why it lost power, what happened yesterday, or what it needs to do to survive, the party floats along in a haze of its memories of yesterday's glories.
Under its former chairman Lee Teng-hui (
Lien Chan (
The KMT lost the presidency due to a lack of "internal unity," KMT-speak for cutting out James Soong (
The "non-mainstream" camp demanded Lee's expulsion from the party during the congress. Lee is, however, the KMT's symbol for localization. Any move to expel him will once again turn the KMT into an alien party and cause it to lose the support of the majority Taiwanese. It would be political suicide and something that the KMT will have to quietly avoid, even though it has turned its back on localization.
The KMT is facing so many fundamental problems, but its 16th national congress turned a blind eye to them. Instead everyone was engaged in their own personal power struggles. Unless the party can once again find a common cause and an inspired leader, it is unlikely to ever return to its glory days.
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