Party changes may thwart decline

Yu is overseeing the changes to party regulations and organizations necessary for implementing the reform project. But some of the more complicated issues, like whether the president can appoint members of the party's central standing committee and whether the committee can overrule Cabinet policies, are still unclear.

The Presidential Office has maintained an ambiguous position on the reform plan. The president's top aide, Ma Yung-chen (馬永成), said that now is the time for open debate and discussion, adding that the president has not yet developed a specific stand. But he also noted that most presidential aides believe the president should maintain his neutrality and not directly head party affairs on the grounds that this is in line with the country's long-term benefits.

Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), a political commentator and editor in chief of Contemporary magazine, said there is a sense of crisis among the party elite.

"In the past, the party was governed by all of the factions. Although the factions often publicly quarreled over key issues and were even about to break up on several occasions, the debating process was preserved and further expanded the party's democracy. This has enabled the DPP to stay in tune with society's development and listen to voices at the grassroots level," Chin said.

"But now, everything is up to Chen to decide, so DPP members want to simply tie themselves to A-bian. However, even if A-bian takes over the party's chairmanship, the DPP still cannot rid itself of the problem of the weakening of its decision-making powers, which is actually the fundamental crisis confronting the party."