Print

Mail

wiki links

Editorial: Ma's lack of leadership is showing

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday decided to place discussion of the presidential recall motion at the top of the agenda for the extraordinary legislative session that is scheduled to commence today. In the process leading up to this decision, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) performance as the leader of the pan-blue camp has been disappointing.

Ma seems so weak, helpless and indecisive in the face of pressure from the radical factions both within his party and the pan-blue camp. One cannot help but wonder what kind of hope the KMT has of becoming a politically moderate and mainstream political party in the days to come.

When the scandals in which Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘) is allegedly involved first came to light and the hawkish factions within the KMT began to demand a recall of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Ma's initial reaction stayed within the bounds of reason. He essentially vetoed the idea, saying that there was no evidence so far to suggest that Chen was involved in any of the scandals. That was more than likely Ma's instinctive response, and reflects that he knew from the bottom of his heart what the right thing to do was.

So what happened? Almost overnight, Ma completely transformed himself -- warning that Chen would not come to a "good end" if he did not voluntarily step down, and whole-heartedly supporting the recall drive. He also backed the mobilization of already highly volatile pan-blue supporters for street rallies and demonstrations that could incite violent confrontations between ethnic groups and political camps.

Ma said his attitude changed because there was now evidence suggesting the president was involved in the scandals. However, the investigation into Chao's activities is reportedly near completion and prosecutors have found nothing so far to suggest Chen's involvement. If Ma knows something that the prosecutors do not, he has a duty to give that information to them. Nothing he has done so far suggests that he has taken such a step or even has such evidence.

It is far more likely that Ma's change of heart stems from his inability to control the hawkish and radical factions within his party.

It is no secret that there is a rivalry within the pan-blue camp between the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) for voters. The KMT has undergone several internal reshuffles in the past decade, leading to an exodus of the more conservative factions and the creation of the New Party and the PFP. Nevertheless, the power struggles between the radicals and the moderates and between the Taiwan consciousness supporters and adherents of the Greater China ideology continue to divide the KMT. The party, despite its financial difficulties, still has an abundance of resources and the power struggle is as much about control of those resources as it is about domestic political issues.

Ma's leadership faces the threat of being undermined by these internal battles. There is no way he can please everyone. In an effort to consolidate his leadership within not just the KMT but the entire pan-blue camp, however, Ma has apparently caved in to the pressure from the radical factions.

One cannot help but wonder what kind of vision Ma has for the KMT. If it is his hope to move his party toward the center of the political spectrum, he has to learn to say no to the hawks -- and fast.
This story has been viewed 1879 times.