Vowing to continue reform efforts so the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will win the 2008 presidential election, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took over the helm of the party yesterday, while his supporters pushed through proposals to reform the KMT's power structure.
Accepting the party's flag from predecessor Lien Chan (
"Today's society depends on the KMT to monitor the government as a strong opposition party and to maintain peaceful cross-strait relations," Ma said in his inauguration speech to the 1,600 delegates gathered at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
"It is the KMT's mission and my challenge to transform the party into a clean and decent party," he said.
Ma outlined seven reform goals in his speech, including cleaning up the party's asset problems by 2008, pushing for pan-blue unity, expanding the party's base and grassroots connections, and deepening democracy within the party.
Ma praised Lien for the contributions he made to the party as chairman, including allowing a direct election for his successor, and for working to improve cross-strait relations.
He also thanked Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for running "a gentlemen's race" in the KMT chairmanship election last month.
In his farewell address, Lien thanked party members for their support during his five-year tenure, during which he said he was devoted to reviving the party's soul and spirit. He encouraged his fellow cadres to rejuvenate and reform the party.
"Our popularity among the public had risen to more than 60 percent in a recent survey. I urge all of you to keep the torch passed down by Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), offer voters a different choice, and hopefully win back power in 2008," Lien said.
Many of the delegates, including Lien's son Lien Sheng-wen (
The KMT's "Chairman Ma era" got underway yesterday afternoon when the delegates passed a proposal to allow them to directly elect the party's 31 Central Standing Committee (CSC) members. The motion was carried by more than 856 delegates. The CSC vote will be held today.
The delegates also gave their approval to Ma's nominees for four vice-chairperson posts: incumbents Taichung Mayor Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), as well as Lin Cheng-chi (林澄枝) and John Kuan (關中). A total of 952 delegates raised their hands to support the appointments.
A proposal to amend the KMT's constitution to extend the terms of CSC members from one year to two was rejected. Other constitutional amendments that passed included abolishing an article which stipulates that members who are disciplined or expelled cannot be candidates for the Central Standing Committee or party chairman.
The article is generally considered to be aimed at People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), who was expelled by the KMT for running as an independent against Lien in the 2000 presidential election. The amendment was designed to help push for integration of the pan-blue alliance.
As most of the motions put forward by Ma's supporters were passed -- the direct election of CSC members and keeping CSC tenure at one year -- it is believed that the Taipei mayor has enhanced his power within the party.
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