Election looms over celebrations

As it marks its 15th anniversary today, the ruling DPP faces its greatest-ever challenge: to consolidate its faltering rule as the year-end legislative election approaches.

"The DPP is under great pressure since it doesn't want to lose the right to form the next Cabinet [in February], in the event that the party fails to become the biggest party in the legislature," says Lawrence Gao (高志鵬), a member of the DPP's Central Standing Committee.

"It's not likely, however, that the DPP will, in such a short period of time, win an overall majority. Indeed, it is likely to take two more legislative elections before that happens," says DPP legislator Chen Chung-shin (陳忠信), adding that there is a consensus within the party that the DPP government ought to ally with other parties or factions in order to gain control of the legislature.

Expressing his optimism, however, Chen says he believes that the DPP should be able to secure a significant proportion of the legislative seats because the major opposition parties have not outshone the ruling DPP in terms of their performance in the legislature.

"Supporters down in the south are convinced that the opposition parties have done all they can to obstruct the DPP's rule. That explains why the DPP hasn't ruled very successfully," Chen says, adding that the party's traditional supporters would not turn their backs on the DPP.

Having to govern during a global economic downturn, painful yet unsuccessful attempts at political reform and a series of natural disasters, the DPP government has faced plenty of adversity -- even in addition to the usual hostility of the legislature.

With a tough road behind and still ahead of them, the party has carefully been considering all possible electoral strategies in order to secure an election victory.

Gao believes that the DPP should first assure the public that the party is capable of handling economic and financial affairs. To that end he has been promoting a proposal to integrate the economic resolutions reached at the Economic Development Advisory Conference into the party's platform for the elections.

A decision to relax the "no haste, be patient" policy on investment in China was one such resolution and this has triggered controversy over whether the DPP, traditionally the pro-independence party and one whose administration to date has been dogged by vociferous hostility from China, should embrace the idea.

As a result of Gao's efforts, however, the party's National Congress tomorrow is likely to discuss and, indeed, pass the resolution. Gao says the economic resolution, already endorsed by DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), should be accepted by all factions of the party.

"Addressing Taiwan's economy under the framework of globalization should help the DPP to shrug off accusations that it rules in accordance with a rigid ideology [instead of progressive policies]," Gao says.

Observers, however, say that the DPP has yet to find its niche in the new, divided political landscape, where two political blocs have taken shape -- with former KMT forces trying to unite and DPP factions also striving to cooperate with one another.

"The DPP's strategic goal should be to reduce the legislative seats of the KMT, its major rival," says Philip Yang (楊永明), associate professor of political science at National Taiwan University.