The recent flap over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) speculation that he might resort to martial law to force the KMT to follow election regulations highlighted the error made by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when Chen assumed the chairmanship of the party. Not only is Chen attempting to do too much, but last time he was both chair and president, the DPP's election effort was less than stellar. Fortunately, with that foolish remark, Chen has now given the DPP an opportunity to redeem that error.
In recent weeks Chen and DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) have been playing a game wherein Chen makes radical remarks that permit Frank Hsieh to appear as the more moderate of the two.
The media then dutifully announces a split between the two, and followed by a denial by the two that there's a split.
In addition to making Hsieh look moderate, this tactic has also had the advantage of making the KMT focus their campaign on the lame duck Chen instead of the future president Hsieh. This behavior, however rewarding, puts the campaign at risk as everything depends on Chen exercising restraint in his role as "radical." Because he is both president and chairman of the party, every word that comes from his lips carries enormous weight, making it inevitable that he would appear to cross the line at some point.
Clearly the words "martial law" should never have come from Chen's mouth, but now that they have, the DPP should salvage something positive from the mess by forcing Chen to do the right thing: resign.
Chen should step down from his post as party chair, and hand it over to someone, preferably a professional, who has only one thing on her mind: getting DPP candidates elected.
Chen and Hsieh will still be able to play serve and volley in the local media, and Chen will still grip the KMT's attention, but he will no longer put the election at risk every time he opens his mouth.
Michael Turton
Taichung
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