Lee to `clarify' retirement plans

KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) may resign before Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inauguration as president on May 20, according to a local newspaper quoting party sources yesterday.

In the wake of the KMT's heavy election loss there have been calls for Lee's early resignation as party chairman, although the president has said previously that he would step down in September.

Lee has not publicly responded to demands for his immediate departure by protesters besieging the party headquarters, following the weekend election.

KMT lawmaker Chen Shei-saint (陳學聖), a key aide to party candidate Lien Chan (連戰), said yesterday, "We learned from informed sources that Lee will make an important speech on the defeat, reform of the party and his resignation plans."

Chen said he had learned Lee would announce that he would step down before September. Because of this, he and 21 other reform-minded legislators had backed down from their earlier demand Lee resign without delay, he said.

However, KMT spokesperson Huang Hui-chen (黃輝珍) yesterday dismissed Chen's statement as without foundation.

Plans for a mass rally on Saturday, which had been expected to attract 100,000 people demanding Lee's departure have also been dropped, the KMT legislators organizing the protest said.

According to one news report Lee will announce his resignation plans at an emergency Central Standing Committee meeting on Friday morning.

"The committee members have been notified to attend," KMT lawmaker Lee Shang-ren was quoted as saying.

A report in a local Chinese-language daily quoted party sources as saying that Lee would stand down, at the latest, before May 20, the day of Chen's inauguration ceremony as president.

A consensus seems to have been reached among the various factions within the KMT that anti-Lee legislators will not force the president out, so that he can make a face-saving exit.

Lee, in return, must make it clear he would leave before September and appoint party vice-chairman Lien Chan to head a reform committee, the reports said.

Scholars, meanwhile, said an early Lee resignation would be "responsible behavior".

"It makes a lot of political sense," said James Yang (楊日青), a political scientist at National Chengchi University. "The party leader should take political responsibility for the election failure, because he made the wrong decision in nominating the party ticket and later caused party disunity."

Wu Tung-yeh (吳東野), a researcher at National Chengchi University, agreed.

"His immediate resignation after the loss may set a fine example in Taiwan's history of democracy for years to come," he said.

Speculation has mounted that James Soong -- who was expelled from the party last year over his decision to run as an independent candidate -- might attempt a return to the KMT fold after Lee's resignation.

Scholars, however, said this was improbable.

"It's just the one-track mind of some Soong supporters within the party," said Wu. "Even though Soong wants to go back, the KMT doesn't want to see that happen."

Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), an analyst at National Chengchi University, agreed.

"It's quite obvious that Lee is to hand over the chairmanship to his successor, Lien Chan (連戰), and that Soong is to form a new party. So it's pretty hard for Soong to go back."

Even though Lee's departure would not necessarily have a dramatic impact on the current political climate, scholars said it may have a big affect on the party.