Forthcoming debate on China policy within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is an inevitability as the party nears the end of the Chen Shui-bian (
"People often have a question for the DPP at this point: Why are there so many divergent opinions among faction leaders or potential candidates?" said Lo Cheng-fang (羅正方), deputy executive of the DPP's policy development committee.
Lo is responsible for setting the agenda and format for the debates.
"To tackle this question, establishing a communication or dialogue platform in the party is essential so that we can hammer out a more convergent opinion on China policy and other issues," Lo told the Taipei Times.
"We also view the debates as a crisis management mechanism, since different stances on China policy can be addressed," he added.
"We will ensure that the debates produce concrete results, rather than mere posturing," he said.
The process will be divided into four stages. The first will solicit opinion pieces on China policy or issues pertaining to cross-strait relations from academics or legislators.
"In a more interesting way, it could be viewed as a composition contest," Lo said.
Lo said the DPP especially welcomes articles from non-party members and businessmen.
The second stage of the process will consist of discussion forums on selected articles, which Lo compared to a "speech contest."
In the third stage, debates will take place on March 25, March 26, April 1 and April 2.
Finally, a conference, to which Chen will be invited, will be held next month to announce the consensus reached during the process.
The DPP is asking submission writers to expound on the topic "The Risks and Opportunities Involved in Cross-Strait Relations" and to set out comprehensive strategies for national development and the appraisal of cross-strait security, politics, and social and cultural interaction in the next decade.
"We hope that the DPP can regain the right of service in the game of defining China policy," Lo said.
"It is also a good opportunity for different internal factions and groups to highlight the discrepancies in the party's China policy. Perhaps during the debate they will discover that there is only nuance involved," he said.
Lo also said that such a debate would certainly be beneficial for the potential candidates for the 2008 presidential election, since they could elaborate their thoughts on China policy.
"Most importantly, presidential hopefuls could not afford to absent themselves from this process since the public is very concerned about candidates' views on China," Lo said.
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