Only the people can recover assets

Such expenses have contributed to the nearly three-fold drop over a four-year period (2002-2005) of the party's wealth from NT$80.8 billion under Lien to NT$27.7 billion when Ma assumed the chairmanship a year ago.

And despite its litany of crimes over the decades, including the 228 Incident and the murder of then political dissident Lin I-hsiung's (林義雄) mother and two daughters in 1980, the KMT has been able to do well politically after it lost power because of its wealth and vast support network.

How could other political parties counter the unfair advantage that the KMT created from enormous wealth?

In a Taipei Times article ("Shih's new campaign is a sorry tale," Aug. 17, page 8), Linda Gail Arrigo wrote: "Corruption has been long ingrained in Taiwan society, down to the lowest levels, and the change of ruling parties has only begun to alter the rules. We cannot defend the DPP in general or the president in particular insofar as they have taken the easier route of continuing past habits, trying to buy off the obstacles, and perhaps even lining their own pockets with unearned rewards."

It is not too farfetched for us to believe that "taking the easier route of continuing past habits" has become one of the strategies that Chen and the DPP have attempted to even the political playing field.

Regardless of what Ma has promised, the KMT will not voluntarily surrender its wealth to the state. Instead, the KMT has reportedly sold five major assets for more than NT$11.4 billion within the last year.

It is expected that the party will continue to dispose of its other assets.

It would also be a mistake to expect the KMT-dominated legislature to take action.

And even if the legislature should pass a law on the matter, it would be a long process and produce toothless legislation in terms of dealing a blow to the KMT's treasury.

The problem must therefore be resolved by way of a national referendum.

Because this is a national issue on which there is broad consensus, the public must demonstrate its will and resolve this problem once and for all.

In addition, the public should make it known that the political playing field must be leveled to ensure that there will be fair competition between political parties.

When this is done, Taiwanese will be able to claim that their democratic country has taken a giant step forward.

Chen Ching-chih is a research fellow at the Institute for Taiwanese Studies in Los Angeles, California.