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EDITORIAL: Frank Hsieh runs the gauntlet

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) has been a very busy man in the two weeks since the party's legislative elections defeat.

Buoyed by President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) decision to take a back seat in response to the party's losses, new chairman Hsieh has come out of his pre-election shell, making headlines daily as he races to catch up with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Hsieh has met figures from across the political spectrum, including those with whom he has seemingly little in common, such as New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) and the Home Party's Chen Yao-chang (陳耀昌), in his bid to look like a consensus builder.

Hsieh has also been shooting off policy ideas with gay abandon, and while his new found freedom must be refreshing to DPP supporters worried by his hermit-like pre-Jan. 12 behavior, he will need to watch his back, as some of his ideas are likely to raise the hackles of hardcore DPP members.

Talking to Chen about shelving the referendum on entering the UN under the name Taiwan, suggesting Ma could be his premier and a softer line on cross-strait economic exchanges may all sound like reasonable propositions to many taking into account the political landscape, but they are anathema to many in the DPP.

The "independence or nothing" crowd will find it extremely hard to keep quiet if Hsieh carries on in this vein, but if they use their heads and consider the bigger picture, they will realize staying silent is the best course of action.

The DPP is still recovering from the disaster that was former chairman Yu Shyi-kun's two years in charge, when deep green elements ruled the roost and hounded dissenting voices or those who dared to criticize leaders or policy out of the party set-up. This did untold damage to the party, most notably during last year's legislative primaries, when several very capable -- but moderate -- lawmakers were labeled "bandits" and replaced with far less impressive figures, producing disastrous results.

The party needs to relearn the value of tolerating different opinions if it is to survive, as there is no political party in the world where every member has the same view on every subject. For evidence of this it need look no further than the KMT, which over the years has seen numerous splits and spin-off parties formed as a result of factional fighting. Nevertheless, the deserters eventually came back into the fold and the KMT's success in keeping potential rebels and dissenters silent ahead of the recent legislative polls arguably contributed to its performance.

Hsieh has done well since he took the helm, but he has just 58 days to achieve his goal. To do that he will need the full support of the whole pan-green camp in his battle against a revitalized KMT.

Hsieh knows the DPP cannot and will not win the presidential election by continuing to appeal only to its core supporters -- the 40 percent who will back the party come rain or shine. It needs to win back voters put off by the party's recent excesses if it is to stand any chance of victory in March.

Maximizing the party's appeal in such a short time while keeping dissenting voices in check will be a tough task, but Hsieh has got to perform if he wants to extend his political career into April.
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