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Pan-blues must tackle reforms or fade away

As the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) recently started its preparations for the legislative elections, a strong call for a leadership reshuffle emerged from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP).

The demand stood out among the numerous calls for a recount of the presidential election and it could not be silenced by the pan-blue leadership. The media ridiculed the KMT for being immovable while the DPP has set off on a course for long-term rule. No wonder young KMT members are so worried.

Let's not discuss the motives behind the demand for bringing in new blood into the KMT leadership -- be it a power struggle or an attempt to build up momentum for the legislative election.

From the previous call for party reform proposed by the "blue hawks" (a group of young KMT politicians) to the recent localization discourse advocated by the "567 Alliance," it is obvious that the KMT leaders have turned their backs on mainstream Tai-wanese opinion.

Their resistance to democratic reform resulted in the party's defeat in the last three elections; in 2000, 2001 and this year. The year-end polls will be another stringent test for the pan-blue camp. The camp's young stars do not want to see their political life ending with the failure of their leaders, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜). Their survival instinct drove them to make such an urgent call for reform.

As a young member of the DPP elite, I welcome the actions taken by the young KMT leaders and look forward to seeing their pro-gress and grassroots develop-ment. I hope to see more action than empty talk from them. Although the rise of the younger pan-blue generation may present a challenge to the pan-green camp, young politicians are able to communicate better because they share similar values and a pragmatic attitude.

This may even give Taiwan an opportunity to get rid of the specter of China and the burden of its history, as well as the traditional authoritarian mindset and old political discourse. This will allow the country to develop stably and normally.

I have a few suggestions for young KMT members:

First, they must revamp and modernize the party. A statute law system should be established inside the party. The chairman has to be elected through democratic procedures and candidates for elections should be nominated through a public and fair primary system, instead of merely creating jobs for certain people. Other-wise, the KMT will remain in the shadow of the rule of an individual and authoritarianism rule.

Second, they must develop self-reliance and creativity. A young face without a young soul is just a mask. The youth should avoid copying other people's ideas and following in the same old rut. For instance, the "567 Alliance" borrowed its title from the "567 Referendum Alliance" I set up in February. As president of the group, I went to the KMT's legislative caucus to invite them to a debate and ask the KMT to lend their ear to younger voices. What I got in return, however, were maltreatment and insults.

Third, the young generation should extend their concerns to social minorities and their issues rather than limiting themselves to mere political participation. These issues include a revision of the law on student participation in politics, lowering of the voting age, improving human rights on campuses and economic and environmental issues.

Fourth, to engage in politics is not to aspire after personal interests. Instead, youth should have a vision of social reform and trust their abilities to carry out their ideals. The old KMT elite forget that Taiwan is still staggering forward through the storms of change. This is the core of political reform.

Hsu Chia-ching is a Taipei City councilor.

Translated by Jennie Shih and Wang Hsiao-wen
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