Fri, Aug 19, 2005 page3

• New era dawns for KMT at party congress

  INTERNAL POLITICS Convention delegates have a full schedule ahead of them today, including votes on reform proposals and Central Committee members

  • BY JEWEL HUANG AND KO SHU-LING / STAFF REPORTERS
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  The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) 17th national convention, which opens today at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, will feature a hand-over ceremony for the party's top post and debate over the party's power structure and development

  KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) will formally hand power over to chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Ma's inauguration will immediately follow the hand-over ceremony, during which the Taipei mayor will deliver a keynote speech setting out his vision and goals for the party.

  Four proposals will be discussed during the two-day convention, including amendments to the KMT's constitution, a resolution to install an honorary chairman, the appointment of five vice chairpersons as well as the selection of a new secretary-general of the party's Central Standing Committee (CSC).

  The proposed amendments to the party's constitution are the most important topic facing delegates since they will affect the KMT's internal power structure.

  Both Ma's supporters and those of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) are expected to put forward motions to enhance the two rivals' power within the party.

  Ma's supporters are pushing a proposal to extend CSC membership from one year to two. They are also expected to propose that committee members should be directly elected by the congress delegates.

  The aim of the direct-election proposal to reduce the power of Wang's supporters within the party's leadership.

  Under current regulations, the 1,602 party delegates are empowered to select the 210 members of the Central Committee, who in turn elect the 31 members of the CSC.

  Wang said earlier this week that he thought revision of the election rules should be put off until the next CSC election next year to avoid controversy.

  The elections for both the Central Committee and the CSC must be held today. The five vice chairpeople are also due to be named today. Only two of the incumbents -- Taichung Mayor Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) -- have said they want to continue in the post. The other three are Ma, Wang and Lin Cheng-chi (林澄枝). Wang has refused Ma's entreaties to stay on.

  Wang's supporters, however, are expected to propose that the chairman's choices for the vice chairpeople should be agreed upon by the party delegates, a move aimed at stopping Ma filling the slate with his people.

  KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), a Ma confidant, said yesterday that a signature drive to endorse the CSC-election reform proposal is moving ahead and that more than 500 signatures have been collected.

  The goal is to have 800 signatures by noon today.

  Wu said that, despite Wang's advice, if the new mechanism is approved, it should be put into effect immediately.

  However, KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), a Wang supporter, is planning to file a motion today to request the new system, if approved, not be implemented until next year.

  Wang refused to comment on the CSC reform proposals yesterday, saying that he had not contacted anyone to discuss the issue nor was he aware of Lee's proposal.
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