Although the future is full of political uncertainties, the century-old Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) concluded its first competitive chairmanship election last week. Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
It is fair to say that Ma's victory lies primarily in his personal characteristics and a solid endorsement by the hard-core Mainlander community. While Ma, by winning the chairmanship, is no doubt moving toward the climax of his political career and securing his bid for the presidency in 2008, what essentially lies ahead are tremendous hurdles.
Ma's first challenge is to mend fences with Wang and win back the support of the KMT's old guard. Wang's immediate refusal after the election to "shake hands" with Ma and his revelation that he would "follow in [current Chairman] Lien Chan's (
The fact that Ma needs Wang's grassroots support and cooperation for both the upcoming local government elections and for crucial legislation in the Legislative Yuan means the incoming KMT chairman must bridge the gap with Wang's camp. Wang may have lost the election but he has earned more leverage for political negotiation.
Moreover, Ma's failure to win support from the KMT's elders was exemplified by Lien, who cast his vote for Wang. Wang's success in allying with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Ma's second test will be the degree to which he can distinguish his own political philosophy from Lien's, especially with respect to developing a pragmatic China policy based on safeguarding Taiwan's national interest.
Can Ma build a cross-strait policy that strikes a balance between Lien's unilateral acceptance of the "one China" fantasy and the mainstream opinion in favor of more dignified, equal and peaceful dialogue with the other side of the Taiwan Strait?
The third urgent task for Ma is to introduce determined and comprehensive reforms on the KMT's party assets and black-gold cronyism. The rejuvenation of the KMT will not be realized by empty talk or simply through recruiting younger talent into the central decision-making process.
Ma implied during the campaign that Wang is closely associated with so-called "black gold" politics within the party itself. In pledging to eradicate this, how will Ma root out "black gold," while at the same time rebuilding the KMT's organization network at the rank-and-file level?
Furthermore, Ma must show more determination and concrete plans to handle questions regarding the KMT's assets, rather than putting all the blame on former president Lee Teng-hui (
Finally, and most importantly, as the new leader of the largest opposition party, Ma must outline to the nation how he will forge rational and responsible interactions with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), in light of Chen's call for partisan reconciliation. Ma must clarify the approach he will pursue to work promptly with the Democratic Progressive Party government on key policies concerning Taiwan's national security and the public's social welfare.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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