There is special significance behind the Taiwan Solidarity Union's recent founding ceremony. The TSU is Taiwan's 95th registered political party, but it has already shaken the political landscape to the core.
Creating a new power center outside of the opposition alliance, the TSU has led to the creation of a divide between the "blue camp" (KMT-People First Party-New Party) and the "green camp" (DPP-TSU). The TSU will mean a stronger green camp, not a weaker one.
To see the difference between the two, one only needs to contrast developments within each camp.
The blue camp is in fact a direct result of a long series of schisms. In the beginning, there was the New Party opposing Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) "localization" path. Next came the departure of James Soong (宋楚瑜) from the KMT. Then we saw Lien Chan (連戰) pressuring Lee to resign as party chairman. Having split from one party into three, the KMT now wants to reunite from three into one.
The TSU is different. It pre-sents Lee as its spiritual leader and its first chairman is Huang Chu-wen (黃主文). Both Lee and Huang are from the KMT. The TSU's nominations for the legislative elections include 19 former KMT members, two from the PFP and one from the New Party. So 56 percent of the TSU's candidates used to be in the KMT.
Seen from a broader perspective, this could be the first wave of a mass exodus from the "blue" into the "green" camp. Lee is spearheading this wave of splits -- to be echoed and followed by "localization" factions within the KMT. This is the opening of a new page in history.
These movements are not only very different from past schisms within the KMT, they are diametrically opposite. In the past, it was KMT fundamentalists leaving the party. Now, it is the "localization" faction who are making a move. The outcome will not only be reflected in the year-end elections, but will also affect the post-election political landscape -- and even Taiwan's future political direction.
Without the TSU, the DPP would find it difficult to expand its political base. After this wave of reshuffles, the "green camp" will begin to take shape. The green and localization paths will then move toward the mainstream. This is the significance of the TSU's establishment.
Chin Heng-wei is editor in chief of the Contemporary Monthly magazine.
Translated by Francis Huang
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