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Editorial: Ma tosses out his trump card

Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) might not be an all-time favorite among pan-greens, but many at least respect him for a mild-mannered temperament and at least aspiring to a higher standard of politics.

If even Ma's political foes are respectful of these qualities, what will follow if Ma compromises the second of the two?

The politician with a reputation for lecturing on morality did his enemies the favor of tainting his own reputation by tacitly accepting the KMT Central Standing Committee's decision to remove the black-gold exclusion clause, which suspends party activities of any member indicted for a crime.

But Ma has bigger worries than what pan-greens think of him. He has tossed his moral-high-ground trump card out the window, which could affect his efforts to garner votes in next year's presidential race.

As the KMT annulled the clause introduced under Ma's chairmanship, the very qualities that the clause was designed to combat re-emerged in the party -- and in Ma -- for all to see.

The KMT decided to follow its party charter as it stood before the black-gold exclusion clause was introduced, meaning that Ma's membership will only be suspended if he is convicted for corruption.

Ma will now struggle to lecture on moral standards, which had earned him much of his popularity. He has not been shy about presenting himself as an example of impeccable morals, and that has been one of his selling points with the average voter.

An excellent example of Ma's eagerness to take the moral high ground is his reaction to the allegations surrounding President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). Ma scorned Chen when the latter was caught in the "state affairs fund" storm. Before the prosecutor had even finished his investigation, Ma was already accusing Chen of "shameful" behavior and demanding that he step down.

Those happy to see Ma's image tainted are perhaps not the only ones who ought to thank Ma. KMT cadres who previously violated the black-gold exclusion clause, such as Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金) and Legislator Chang Chang-tsair (張昌財), can now have their KMT membership fully reinstated.

But this won't help former KMT member and Keelung Mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利), who was kicked out of the party after being convicted of corruption last September for trying to use his position to sell a plot of land to the Keelung City Government's bus department. Ma, who was party chairman at the time, urged Hsu to resign.

But there may be hope for Hsu yet. The KMT may amend its regulations further in June so that party membership will not be suspended unless a conviction is handed down after appeals are exhausted. So, Hsu may owe Ma a "thank you," too.

We suggest that the KMT get around the whole issue of charter revisions by simply adopting a "black-gold inclusive" clause.
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