KMT looks south ahead of presidential vote

KMT Chairman Lien Chan, left, shakes hands with participants in the 16th KMT Central Advisory Council meeting yesterday. PHOTO: YEH CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

The result of the KMT's Central Standing Committee election on Saturday suggests that the party has been laying down plans for next year's presidential election, political watchers said.

In view of the number of southern Taiwanese who fared well in the committee election, Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), a political observer and editor in chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine, said it was apparent that the party is keen to cross the Chuoshui River -- generally regarded as the dividing line between northern and southern Taiwan -- and break down President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) southern stronghold.

Of the 31 people among the party's 210 Central committee members voted to the standing committee, three of the top five vote-winners were from southern Taiwan.

First the standing committee election was former legislator Hung Yu-ching (洪玉欽) from Tainan County.

Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), a party legislator-at-large was elected with the third highest votes for his third consecutive term. Huang lives in Kaohsiung City.

The fifth-largest vote-winner was Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世), who represents a constituency in Kaohsiung County.

In addition, of the three new faces voted to the committee, one, Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), represents a constituency in Tainan County.

Legislator Hou Tsai-feng (侯彩鳳), of Kaohsiung City, was also voted to the KMT's highest decision-making body.

Running a joint ticket, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will challenge Chen's re-election bid next March.

A closer look at the result of the 2000 presidential election gives a better understanding as to why the pan-blue camp is concerned over its campaign strategy in southern Taiwan in the run-up to the presidential election.

"If we look at the last presidential election result, southern Taiwan is by no means a source of a lot of votes for the pan-blue camp," said Emile Sheng (盛治仁), a political science professor at Soochow University.

Chen the 2000 presidential election with 39 percent of the vote. Soong, then running as an independent, took 36 percent while Lien, the KMT's candidate, came in a distant third with 23 percent.

Chen able to score the 2000 presidency thanks to the great support he received in the south, where he won an absolute majority of ballots cast.

Chen Soong by large margins in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Chiayi and Yunlin while Soong was the candidate of choice in northern, central and eastern regions and gained overwhelming victories in Taiwan's offshore islands.

Given Soong's popularity in northern, central and eastern Taiwan, Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光), a professor of political science at National Taiwan University, said southern Taiwan is the one region in which the pan-blue camp needs to gain more of a foothold.

Legislative Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who is also KMT vice chairman, is fully aware of what Ger meant.

During the KMT's national party congress on Saturday, Wang suggested that, in a bid to raise Lien and Soong's visibility and round up support for the pan-blue camp, both Lien and Soong should station themselves in southern Taiwan periodically in the run-up to presidential race next year.

Wang's were echoed by numerous party members, included Hung, who also suggested that the alliance should establish a campaign headquarters in southern Taiwan in addition to one in Taipei.

"Doing so would not only help the alliance to deepen its campaign in the region but would also suggest to southern residents that the pan-blue camp does place importance on southern Taiwan," Hung said.