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Editorial: Defection a sign of PFP decline

The defection of People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is just the tip of an iceberg in a devastating crisis currently facing the PFP. Chou's move may trigger a mass exodus from the PFP back to the KMT, and raises the question of where the PFP will place itself on the political spectrum.

All products must have target markets or consumers in mind in order to be successful. The same is true with political parties. The difference is that what attracts supports is a party's ideology. A party's stance on cross-strait relations and the national identity issue have for all practical purposes become the sole criteria for their position on the political spectrum.

The PFP must make up its mind whether it wants to be more conservative, or more open and moderate than the KMT in order to differentiate itself.

It should not be forgotten that PFP Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) departure from the KMT and the establishment of the PFP was not ideologically motivated, but interest based. Soong went his separate way because he felt that he deserved the KMT's 2000 presidential nomination more than Lien Chan (連戰).

Upon the founding of the PFP, critics have questioned what Soong had to offer that was so different from the KMT. This is especially true after Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) stepped down as the KMT chairman, and Lien, Lee's successor, overturned the localization path embraced by the former president during his tenure as party head.

Soong's political charisma rapidly declined in tandem with the rise of KMT Vice Chairman and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to political super stardom. Soong became increasingly unable to keep the party afloat solely on the basis of his charisma. The PFP's ability to distinguish its core political values from the KMT became increasingly problematic.

For a while, it seemed clear that the PFP had opted to place itself at the deep blue end of the political spectrum. It was a rather obvious choice, since Soong was once Taiwan's biggest Mainlander political star, and, having served as former president Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) secretary, he portrayed himself as an orthodox follower of Chiang's unificationist ideology.

However, that tactic did not work too well. In last year's legislative elections, the PFP suffered a devastating defeat, losing 26 percent of the seats they held before the vote. There were only two choices left for the PFP, to either merge with the KMT or to cooperate with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and play the role of the key minority party in the legislature. This time around, Soong chose the latter. As a result, Soong faced and enormous backlash from the PFP's conservative support base.

Chou's defection has one simple explanation -- he wants to win the Taipei County commissioner seat, and this will not happen if he stays with the PFP. If both pan-blue parties nominate candidates for the race, it is likely that DPP nominee -- which at this point is expected to be former Council for Hakka Affairs Chairman Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) -- will win the race amid a pan-blue voter split.

Further, since many long-time PFP supporters find Soong's meeting with Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) unforgivable, as the PFP nominee, Chou has little chance of winning.

Chou's move to the KMT has also alarmed KMT Legislator Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進) and Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who also intend to run for the Taipei County commissioner post. Will Chou be nominated? Will Chou be elected? These answers could determine whether more PFP members will follow Chou's move to the KMT.
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