The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) extraordinary national congress yesterday approved a new internal regulation that forces party members serving in an official capacity to withdraw from party factions. At the same time, with the support of President Chen Shui-bian (
Legislator Wang Sing-nan (
To meet party members' expectations for party reform to counter the negative influence of factions on the DPP's future, Chen, who also serves as party chairman, asked the DPP's central headquarters to draw up a clause restricting factionalism. This clause demands that all Cabinet officials and all officials of the party headquarters withdraw from factions or face penalties.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The proposal to abolish factions boiled down to a battle between the New Tide and the rest of the party at yesterday's national congress.
"If the political operation of any country in the world becomes less corrupt and more intelligent because of the existence of factions, if the government of any country in the world worsens because of the lack of factions, and if the DPP will collapse because of the abolishment of factions, then I am willing to withdraw my proposal," Wang said at yesterday's meeting.
Lee Wen-chuang (李文忠), leader of the New Tide, countered by saying that party factions exist in all democratic countries, because politics develops out of competition between different ideals.
"We agree that the way factions operate should be reviewed and needs to be guided in a more positive direction, but the suggestion to abolish factions will be a joke as far as democracy is concerned," Lee said.
"The rumors and suspicions about vote-buying during our party's primary election of the legislator-at-large nominees indicate that a lack of positive factional operation will only lead to a highly unstable situation within the party," Lee said.
Legislator Chen Chin-te (陳金德), a member of the New Tide, said that Wang's proposal to abolish factions violates the spirit of the Constitution, which clearly protects the people's right to free assembly.
Legislator Trong Chai (
"Please, let's not be so naive, the efforts of party factions have nothing to do with Taiwan's future, they are just fighting for a private group's interests," he said.
Lin Chung-mao (
Chen, a founder of the Justice faction, asked Lin not to take such a harsh stance on the issue, saying, "I voted for you during the last legislative election."
Chen endorsed the clause restricting factions, rather than abolishing them altogether, stressing that the existence of factions has contributed to the DPP's development and has had significant meaning in the party's history.
"We must admit that there are problems to be found in the operations of the party's factions, but terminating all factions is obviously a much bigger problem. I hope that those who hold different opinions will demonstrate understanding and support my decision," Chen said.
Chen said that the involvement of faction members in the government system should be completely restricted, save for the reason of uniting to win the year-end legislative election.
In addition, arguments in favor of abolishing all factions should be put to rest for the time being, Chen said.
The New Tide is the best organized faction within the DPP, and its influence has expanded quickly since it's leaders successfully became Chen's most trusted aides in early 2000.
National Security Council Sec-retary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), former campaign spokesman for the president and now the new chairman of the Taiwan Stock Exchange, stand at the head of the New Tide. Other senior members of the faction currently serve as Cabinet deputy ministers.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) was originally a member of the Welfare State faction, which was founded by Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), but became an ally of the New Tide in a bid to become Chen's successor as the DPP's presidential candidate in 2008.
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