Soong tells AWSJ he will overhaul KMT if elected

Independent presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) told the Asian Wall Street Journal in an article published yesterday that if elected, he plans to overhaul the KMT that expelled him late last year.

"I don't want to overthrow the party," Soong was quoted as saying. "It's a reform, not a revolution."

If Soong wins the election, his relationship with the KMT -- particularly the party's current chairman and President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- will be crucial in determining how smooth the transfer of power will be, the AWSJ story said.

The Journal noted that Lee's harsh criticism of his one-time protegee could lead to a post election battle between Soong's and Lee's supporters for control of the party.

Soong told the AWSJ that he would try to reduce the ruling-party's involvement in the day to dayrunning of the government. "If I am elected, we must have a new kind of vision," Soong was quoted as saying.

He went on to say that he wanted to see Taiwan move toward what he called an "American model" of administration with the party and government leadership clearly divided.

Soong told the Journal that an election loss was just what was needed to shake-up the ruling party. "Only that big setback will help them to awaken," he was quoted as saying.

The Asian Wall Street Journal also ran an editorial yesterday headlined "The Challenge to the KMT."

The editorial predicted that no matter what the election outcome, the KMT would likely be forced to reform and the quality of government to improve working democracy in Taiwan.

Should Soong win this election, there is a strong possibility that he could retake control of the party, the newspaper's editorial said. If the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) becomes president, the ASWJ editorial said, the KMT could face a difficult period under pressure from a party which has shown an interest in investigating and prosecuting past malpractice.

Even if Vice President Lien Chan (連戰) wins, he may use the strong challenge to change direction ahead of the legislative elections next year, the editorial said.

Corrupt practices of the KMT that were long tolerated are now generating significant resistance, the editorial said.

"No matter what the outcome of the election, democratic pressure will tend to improve the quality of government," the editorial said.