The fallout from Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung’s (江丙坤) attempt to resign was the beginning of another power struggle within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) seeks to take full control of the party, analysts said.
Chiang tendered his resignation on Monday following accusations against his and his sons’ business ties in China. Speculation was rife that the attacks targeting Chiang came from the KMT and that Ma wanted KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) to take over Chiang’s position so Ma could take the party chairmanship.
Chiang offered his resignation in what was seen as an attempt to force Ma to make clear his intention to take over the chairmanship earlier than planned.
Chiang’s move prompted Ma to visit him at the SEF on Friday to dissuade him from stepping down, but analysts said this was a temporary setback and that Ma’s plan to grab power from the KMT old guard would continue.
“It’s a process of centralization of power for Ma. He is feeling insecure and he wants to take full control of the legislature and cross-strait affairs,” said Wang Kun-yi (王崑義), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University.
Ma sought the assistance of the KMT old guard when he came into office last year and relied on their expertise in various areas to help get his administration on track. However, old guard members are also a burden for Ma, Wang said.
Chiang, Wu and former KMT chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) close ties with China have made it more difficult for the Ma administration to resolve a number of problems in cross-strait relations and take full control of cross-strait issues, he said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is the official government agency that handles cross-strait affairs, but the SEF, a semi-government organization, is in charge of substantive cross-strait negotiations.
The KMT, on the other hand, has its own communication channel with China. The platform between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — established when Lien visited Beijing in 2005 — continued after the government authorized the SEF to launch cross-strait negotiations with the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.
Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a political commentator at National Dong Hwa University, said Chiang and Wu had Beijing’s support and that it would be a great challenge for Ma to get rid of them.
The power struggle within the KMT has always been a delicate matter, but ultimately Ma’s people will take over all the major positions, Shih said. The old guard will resist, but Ma will win the battle because he has all the resources, Shih said.
Political analyst Wang Yeh-lih (王業立) of National Taiwan University said Ma should consider revising the Constitution and ponder relations between the Presidential Office, the Cabinet and the legislature because, on its own, taking over the party chairmanship would not solve the problem.
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