The nation's normally raucous politics has gone into a quiet phase, with the top movers and shakers in recent days doing little to draw attention to themselves.
Though President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) before the Dec. 1 elections called for opposition party members to join his proposed "cross-party alliance for national stabilization," he has recently has been silent on the subject.
The chairmen of the KMT and People First Party (PFP) have been avoiding the headlines as well, putting off meeting with Chen to discuss cooperation now that the legislative elections have reshaped the political landscape.
Lien Chan (
Indeed, the once-active political volcano that erupted on almost a daily basis seems to have gone dormant.
But political watchers say the moment of peace and quiet being enjoyed now could end after the New Year, when the issue of the nation's political realignment is again expected to become a hot topic.
Since the Dec. 1 elections, Chen has avoided commenting on politics and has asked his aides to be cautious in their public remarks.
With the Presidential Office reluctant to talk about the nation's political developments or the progress of the national stabilization alliance, DPP members have also remained low key.
With efforts to form an alliance limited to contacting opposition lawmakers on an individual basis, whether Chen's initiative will be successful remains unclear.
In addition, much of the lobbying efforts have taken place below the radar screens of political observers -- leaving them little to comment on.
Promises of a meeting between the chairmen of the KMT and PFP and the president have also been put on hold.
Lin Feng-cheng, (
Still, the Presidential Office refuses to talk about the arrangements and proposed agendas of the planned Bian-Lien and Bian-Soong meetings.
A Presidential Office source said Yu may meet with Lin this week to discuss the Chen-Lien meeting, but the KMT doesn't seem to be in a hurry.
Both Lin and legislative speaker Wang Jyn-ping (王金平) think that a Bian-Lien meeting isn't a top priority at this moment. Many KMT officials don't favor the meeting taking place anytime soon, either.
Any meeting would have to wait for Lien to return from his one-week visit to Japan, which he left for yesterday.
The PFP is also taking its time when it comes to the proposed Bian-Soong meeting.
Differing accounts of whether the Presidential Office has made any contact with the PFP indicates its caution in dealing with the matter.
The Presidential Office is reportedly hoping to avoid the fiasco that resulted in Chen and Soong's meeting in July, after which Soong claimed the president had offered him the post of premier and command over the military.
Soong himself doesn't seem to view a meeting with Chen as a matter of urgency, and is reportedly planning on visiting relatives in the US over the holidays.
As for DPP officials, Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is scheduled to return from a trip to the US today and plans to take time off. Party secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) also plans to take a time-out.
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