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Radicals in PFP could sink all the pan-blues

`When Taipei City Government spokesman Wu Yu-sheng registered for the KMT legislative primary on Monday, staff at the city government wore badges with a horse logo.'

Since its defeat in the presidential election, the People First Party (PFP) has been trying to crush Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in an attempt to salvage the career of PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜). All this has done, however, is push the pan-blue alliance deeper into crisis.

Ma's supporters are finally rallying around him, while an army of supporters of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) are also falling into line. There will no doubt be a power struggle between the "Ma army" and the "Wang legion." This is a predictable contest within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). But up against Soong and his supporters, the KMT foes will still stand side by side in overcoming the enemy.

More time is needed to say whether the "Wang legion" will prevail over Ma. As for his own forces, prominent Ma supporters are nailing their colors to the mast. When Taipei City Government spokesman Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) registered for the KMT legislative primary on Monday, staff at the city government wore badges with a horse logo -- ma (馬) is Chinese for "horse." A day before Wu's registration, Ma pledged at a lunch with members of his team that he would tackle the difficult situation facing people today. The emergence of the "Ma army" is now undeniable.

Meanwhile, attempting to place Ma in the PFP's line of fire, PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) lambasted him for taking advantage of the difficulties facing his party and the country to expand his influence. Liu then compared Wang with Ma, saying that people would remember Wang's courage in the way he went about his business -- implying that Ma lacks a sense of mission. But whether the PFP's criticism of Ma can lead to the PFP controlling the pan-blue alliance is a question with one obvious answer.

If the "Wang legion" prevails, Soong will then come under attack on two fronts. Will the Soong faction then target Wang?

The PFP is still clearly indulging itself in the party-state myth. Unaware of the fact that the election results sounded the death knell for the party-state, the PFP is still harping about a "national disaster" and a "disaster for the party." Their quibbling only shows how out of touch they are with public opinion. One can also say that the blue camp's defeat marks the demise of a foreign regime and the further consolidation of Taiwan's national identity.

A "disaster for the party" is an apt expression. The question is whether the KMT and other blue-camp elements can develop a new understanding of this country and meet the people's needs.

But if they drag the party-state myth along with them, then the PFP won't be the only group to collapse -- the "Ma army" and the "Wang legion" may well consign themselves to oblivion too.

Chin Heng-wei is editor in chief of Contemporary Monthly.

TRANSLATED BY WANG HSIAO-WEN
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