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Lawmaker pitches party reform plan

Nearly two years after taking power, the DPP is still struggling to adjust to its role as the ruling party. To help preserve political stability, the party has been forced to give up several long-cherished goals, among them the fight to scrap Taiwan's nuclear power plants. Recently, an increasing number of party members have questioned the wisdom of restraint and suggested the need for reform. Senior DPP lawmaker Shen Fu-hsiung, dubbed the brain of the party's legislative caucus, has drawn up a reform plan in the hope of restoring the party's morale and dynamism. Shen shared details of his plan to reinvigorate the DPP during a recent interview with `Taipei Times' staff reporter Crystal Hsu

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TT: What are the prospects of your party reform plan being approved by the DPP at its upcoming congress?

Shen: I expect resistance from delegates to the party's congress, as they will be deprived of the right to approve the party's policies. The Cabinet has no preference either way, and the caucus generally backs my package.

Still, it is up to the president to decide whether he would take up the party's chairmanship. Last week, he appeared quite enthusiastic about the suggestion. But the enthusiasm significantly subsided this week.

Polls show most DPP supporters have no objection to Chen steering the party, whereas people who don't support the party overwhelmingly frowned on the practice. But it is the opinion of non-aligned voters that concerns the president the most. He may name a close aide to run the party on his behalf if he continues to refrain from party activities in keeping with his pledge during the presidential campaign in 2000.

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