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Newsmaker: Astute campaigner John Kuan returning to the KMT

John Kuan, an old friend of KMT Chairman Lien Chan, is returning to the party in preparation for the 2004 presidential contest. TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO

After a 12-year departure from the KMT's party organization, John Kuan (關中) is set to stage a comeback.

The 62-year-old former Examination Yuan vice president and minister of civil service has recently been appointed by KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to take the helm of the National Research Institute (國家發展研究院), a training base for the party's campaign staff.

And there's more to the appointment than that. The personnel arrangement is widely considered a major step paving the way for Lien's second presidential bid in 2004, with Kuan serving as one of the hard-core campaign strategists.

During an interview with local media last week, Kuan revealed for the first time that Lien had made up his mind to run again and that this would be Lien's "final fight."

"I could feel Lien's sincerity from the conversation [with him]. He was serious and I decided resolutely to come out to help him," Kuan said.

According to Kuan, Lien has based his decision on an understanding with PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) that they should cooperate with each other in the 2004 race, putting aside temporarily the sensitive question of who should lead the presidential ticket and who should be the running mate.

"The whole situation will only become clearer in March next year," Kuan said.

The KMT has come up with a series of plans to boost Lien's popularity over the next six months, one of which is a tour around the country led by Lien, called the "2004 project for the people's happiness."

Despite the implicit manner the KMT has addressed the question concerning the disposition of the presidential ticket, there has been little doubt that the KMT -- which considers itself the leader of the pan-blue camp -- aims to have Soong serve as Lien's running mate.

Kuan's new role as Lien's campaign strategist seems to highlight this very ambition of the KMT, given the tough style and clever political maneuvers that Kuan demonstrated during his former days in the party organization.

Kuan was recruited to work for the KMT in 1977 at the age of 37, a few years after he returned to Taiwan after earning his PhD at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

His first position was at the party's Department of Youth Affairs, serving as a deputy to Lien -- who was then the department's director-general. It was during that time that Kuan and Lien struck up a friendship that lasts until today.

In 1979, Kuan was assigned to become deputy director-general of the party's Central Policy Committee and charged with the mission of communicating with members of the opposition movement.

Kuan started to establish a reputation as a combative campaign commander during his office as chairman of the KMT's Taipei Municipal Committee from 1981 to 1984, successfully sending all seven KMT candidates in Taipei City to the legislature in the 1983 legislative elections.

His remarkable achievement continued during his service as chairman of the KMT's Taiwan Provincial Committee, with the party garnering in 1986 all 12 seats to the Control Yuan that were reserved for Taiwan Provincial Assembly deputies.

The means that Kuan adopted to succeed, however, remain controversial. While the nomination of members of local political factions for the legislative races was criticized as being responsible for the start of "black gold" politics in Taiwan, the common practices of mudslinging and vote-buying are also blamed for Taiwan's corrupt campaign culture today.

Meanwhile, Kuan was portrayed as a "real hawk" by magazines supportive of the opposition movement, in light of his tough style in dealing with the challenges from opposition activists.

In 1987, Kuan stepped down from the Taiwan Provincial Committee over allegations of vote-buying in the elections for Control Yuan members and was transferred to head the Cabinet's National Youth Commission.

But Kuan made his way back to the party organization several months later, becoming the director-general of the Department of Organizational Affairs -- the KMT's top organ in charge of election campaign planning.

He held the position for two years and during his second year in this position he was assigned to serve concurrently as the party's deputy secretary-general.

In late 1989, Kuan was removed from his position as head of the Department of Organizational Affairs over the party's fiasco in handling three elections held during that year. In what marked an end to his 13 years of service to the party, he left the position of KMT deputy secretary-general in 1990.

Kuan ran in the 1992 legislative elections and was successful. But half way through his legislative term, he accepted then president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) offer to take over as the minister of civil service in 1994.

With Lee's nomination, Kuan became vice president of the Examination Yuan in 1996. Citing an ideological difference with the DPP, he resigned from the position soon after the KMT lost the presidential race in March 2000.

Kuan, who organized a team of volunteers to help boost publicity for Lien's campaign in 1999, is now ready to take a more important role in Lien's second presidential bid that very likely will be made in cooperation with Soong.

Another point that has raised the interest of the public now is a widely reported political feud between Kuan and Soong, started during their past service at the KMT. Are the two political foes ready to become friends?

On this question, Kuan said the conflicts between Soong and himself were played up by the press and the past does not concern him any more. Kuan said he had urged Lien to cooperate with Soong during the 2000 presidential race, but the effort was unsuccessful.

"People in my generation don't care much about personal interests and feuds. We will do our best for the best interest of the country," Kuan said.
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