Chen triggering rush to join DPP

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) assumption of the DPP party chairmanship has triggered a fad among the nation's elite to join the party -- a phenomenon reversing previous trends which saw most of the DPP's members come from the grassroots level.

DPP party officials said yesterday that they expect a bandwagon effect now that 50 members of the nation's political and intellectual elite have decided to join.

The 50 new members -- all of them top executive officials and members of the nation's social and intellectual elite -- will join the DPP today at a ceremony presided over by Chen. The event is the largest mass entry of elite into the DPP since the party was established in 1986.

The party has traditionally been composed of mostly political dissidents, workers and oppressed groups. In the past, when members of the elite did join the party, it would generally be seen as an offer of assistance to try to help strengthen the party.

But the situation began to change after the DPP took power two years ago. Now with Chen serving concurrently as president and party chairman, executives and social elite have rushed to join the party to be close to the center of power.

The party has approximately 400,000 members.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Michael You (游盈隆) said the party would continue its recruitment drive because recruiting new members is an indispensable element for any ruling party in a democratic country to grow and consolidate their power.

You said the party welcomes anyone sharing their mission and ideals to join.

Rejecting criticism from the opposition, who have said that the officials' joining of the DPP is an act to ingratiate themselves with the ruling party, You said the remarks were not helpful for the development of democratic politics.

He said that there is no need for the opposition to forge such a "sour grapes" mindset, because as the new members have long been friends of the DPP, it is no surprise that they have chosen to enter the party fold.

Unlike the KMT administration when officials were impelled to join the party, You noted that the DPP has respected individual opinions. "All of them decided to join of their own accord," he said

To avoid harming the objectivity of government departments, DPP officials said executives serving in security and police departments, as well as finance departments were not invited to join.

Lee Chin-yung (李進勇), another DPP deputy secretary-general, stressed that the new members would not receive any special privileges, but rather would have more social responsibilities.

The new membership is made up of 18 executives, six academics, 11 medical professionals and five each from business, high-tech and social circles.

Some said they joined because they agree with the DPP's ideology, while others said that joining the ruling party is "a matter needed to be done for executive administrators."