Sun, May 02, 2004 page3

• KMT seen having rough road to generational change

  • By Chang Yun-ping / STAFF REPORTER
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  The nation's political parties are emphasizing efforts to bring in new blood, but some observers doubt that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will be able to compete with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the battle to recruit and cultivate younger talent.

  As more and more young DPP members are appointed to governmental offices, the KMT, which is preoccupied with generational issues of power, should quicken its process of bringing in new blood in order to revitalize the party, political analysts say.

  The DPP's success in cultivating political talent can be seen in a recent series of appointments of younger politicians to the Cabinet. These include the appointment of Legislator Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) as the Chairman of Hakka Council Affairs; Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) as Cabinet spokesperson; and Legislator Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as Deputy Secretary General of the Presidential Office.

  In addition, many young members of the DPP elite are poised to run in the year-end legislative elections.

  Blue hawks

  Meanwhile, inside the KMT, a group known as "blue hawks," from the party's Chunghsing [Rejuvenation] Elite Group (中興菁英班), as well as young members of the "Five Six Seven Alliance," are putting pressure on party authorities to choose candidates for this year's legislative elections who have clean images and who specialize in legislative work -- instead of giving preference to current lawmakers.

  Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine, says that the promotion of the DPP's younger generation is a natural way for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to build a team of professional politicians to prepare his party for long-term administration.

  "Chen himself is a young president and therefore his appointing politicians of the younger generation is natural. Unlike 2000, when the DPP had to borrow talent from the KMT in order to fill out the Cabinet, Chen's appointing his own people this time demonstrates his determination to cultivate the DPP's homegrown professional politicians," Chin said.

  Power hierarchy

  Chin said that it will be very difficult for the KMT to overhaul itself because it has failed to gain the presidency for a second time running and can now only focus on the legislative elections, or elections for mayors or county commissioners, to demonstrate its political capabilities.

  Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光), a professor of political science at National Taiwan University, said the pressing problem facing the KMT is a rigid power hierarchy in which the party's old guard occupies major posts and prevents young people from bringing new energy to the party.

  Ger said the KMT should strive for an even representation of old, middle-aged and young talent so that each generation can contribute in the ways it is most suited to.

  Ger said the KMT, which was in power for more than five decades, has ignored much of the political talent that it cultivated over the years.

  "What the KMT urgently needs to do is to promote middle-generation elites, who are now in their 40s or 50s. Otherwise they will have to face losing even more of their support," Ger said.

  Since the legislature is now one of the few realms in which the KMT can demonstrate its potential, Ger suggested that the KMT nominate more top-notch legislators-at-large to revamp the party's image.

  "The KMT's current legislators-at-large are pretty lousy. If the party could nominate more qualified candidates, with clean images, professionalism and a sound educational background, that would boost the party's chances in the year-end legislative elections," Ger said.

  To allow a fair playing field for the party's young members and to provide a counterbalance to the professed strategy of KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who has said that the party's legislative nominations will focus on incumbent lawmakers, Ger said that the KMT should establish a fair nomination mechanism to ensure that both incumbents and challengers have equal chances to compete.

  Experienced hands

  "The incumbents enjoy advantages because of their current position as lawmakers, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily more capable and qualified than their challengers," Ger said.

  However, Emile Sheng (盛治仁), an associate professor of political science at Soochow University, said yesterday that a generational transfer of power can only happen naturally and cannot be pushed.

  "A transfer of power to the younger generation can't happen just for the sake of it; it should happen according to a long-term plan," Sheng said.
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