Thu, Mar 17, 2005 page2

• KMT compromises on chairmanship election's timing

  POSTPONED The party decided to hold the election on July 16, and not July 23 as had been proposed, to allay fears that `token' members will be able to sway the results

  • By Caroline Hong / STAFF REPORTER
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  The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday decided to postpone its chairmanship election until July 16.

  The KMT's chairmanship election was originally scheduled for May 28, but a party think tank suggested that the election be put off until July 23 to avoid a clash with the election of the National Assembly, which has been scheduled for May 14.

  However, KMT Vice Chairman and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is one of the party members eyeing the position, criticized the postponement proposal.

  "If the election's game rules are continually changing while everyone already knows who the candidates are, then the party's image will suffer, and the KMT will be harmed. Delays in holding the chairmanship election, and the issues with membership fees, will make the outside world think that `token' members have been added to the KMT, which will also harm the party's image," Ma said yesterday at the KMT's central headquarters after attending the party's weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.

  According to the KMT's internal rules, only individuals who have been party members for at least four months can vote in the chairmanship election. Postponing the election until July 23 would allow more time for newer members to become eligible to vote, which prompted Ma and his supporters on Tuesday to voice suspicions that the date change was being made to benefit the other favored candidate in the chairmanship race, Ma's fellow KMT Vice Chairman and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).

  They said that the postponement would give Wang and his supporters time to register new members who have been bribed to vote for Wang.

  Speaking to reporters after the committee meeting yesterday, KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) denied that the date change had been motivated by favoritism for Wang.

  "The National Assembly elections are in May, and the intra-party preliminaries for the county commissioner and mayoral elections are in April, May and June. If the chairmanship election is also held during that time, the focus might be put on the chairmanship election. If there are any `accidents' during the other elections, it might have a negative effect on the party's image. That is why we wanted to move the election to July 23," Lin said.

  However, holding the election on July 16 will eliminate conflicts over token members, Lin said.

  KMT Spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said yesterday that the party will officially announce the start of the chairmanship election process on May 16. Candidates will be able to register their candidacy from May 25 until June 8, and the election will be held on July 16.

  While a controversial proposal to allow party members whose memberships fees are in arrears to vote in the chairmanship election was also discussed at yesterday's committee meeting, no decision will be made until next week's Central Standing Committee meeting, Cheng said.
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