Editorial: Fragile alliance a new pain for Ma

Estranged allies People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reached out to each other across the Pacific in a video conference on Monday to preside over the forming of an alliance between the two parties. The PFP and KMT have now pledged to cooperate more closely during elections, in the legislature and in policymaking.

But things weren't always so cozy. Only last Thursday, the PFP broke ranks and sabotaged the KMT's efforts to block Chen Tsung-ming's (陳聰明) appointment as state public prosecutor. During the brawl the next day over a proposed amendment to the selection process for Central Election Commission members, the PFP stayed neutral and refrained from joining the fray on the KMT's behalf. The speed with which the two parties have gone from foes to friends is breathtaking.

Ma says he hopes that a formal alliance will help lead to closer unity in the legislature, which will help produce more policies beneficial to all of Taiwan. Soong said he hopes to stabilize Taiwanese politics by using more moderate, soft power to rebuild the foundation of the nation's democratic system as he sees it: the pan-blue alliance. Born of the same ideology, the KMT and PFP have always been political partners. That the two say they want to cooperate is not surprising, nor are their diplomatically chosen words.

The KMT doesn't want the PFP to cause trouble and split the pan-blue vote. Meanwhile, the PFP is coveting the quota for legislators-at-large and working for its own interests as it tries to stave off its destruction. Both parties know they need each other, but they don't have the resolve to make a long-term commitment, so instead they're just moving in together. However, this is merely a marriage of convenience in response to new electoral rules.

The new electoral system will halve the total number of legislative seats and the new electoral districts offer only 73 seats. This will lead to an explosive contest between the KMT and PFP as candidates vie for a much smaller number of seats. Both parties could use surveys to select candidates with the best chance of winning, similar to the election tactics they used before. But that cooperation failed in 2005, when KMT candidate Hsu Tsai-li (許財利) ran against PFP candidate Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) in the Keelung mayoral election, and when KMT candidate Jason Hu (胡志強) vied with PFP candidate Shen Chih-hui (沈智慧) in Taichung. Such infighting could be repeated this year.

The nomination system must be transparent and fair and potential candidates must be willing to concede defeat for it to work. The parties must stick to their guns and expel candidates who insist on running even after being eliminated by the nomination process. Otherwise, a dispute over just one legislative seat could shatter the alliance, leading the two into mutual attacks rather than cooperation.

After announcing that he was leaving Taiwanese politics following his crushing defeat in last year's Taipei mayoral election, Soong's actions certainly cast new light on the sincerity of his intentions. He witnessed the forming of the alliance from the US, and as he and PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) both tendered their resignations, it remains unclear in what capacity they witnessed the proceedings. But their resignations have ensured that they won't have to worry themselves over the consequences of the alliance in the coming days.

Regardless, the forming of the alliance is just the beginning of a new headache for the KMT chairman.