With the campaign in the final phase, Saturday's election is turning out to be a showdown between the KMT and the DPP. Betting their political future, several key politicians from the pan-green camp have put their policy platforms and track records on the line. The election this time has as much to do with the future of a few major campaigners as that of 250 legislative and local government positions.
DPP chairman Frank Hsieh (
President Chen Shui-bian (
For his part, Lien has also parted from his erstwhile genteel appearance and lambasted Chen, accusing him of being the sole culprit behind all of Taiwan's ills.
Having set their sights on each other, Chen and Lien are now embarking on a "pan-green versus pan-blue" battle. Differences between the two sides center around cross-strait issues and the Constitution. On cross-strait issues, Chen advocates his integration dictum and rejects the existence of a "1992 consensus" of "one China, with each side making its own interpretation." On cross-strait trade, Chen advocates the "active opening, effective management" policy.
In contrast, Lien advocates a confederation model, recognizes the 1992 consensus and wants to expand trade relations with China on a massive scale. On constitutional issues, Chen believes that Taiwan's semi-presidential system leans toward a presidential one, and that Cabinet-forming power is in the president's hands. Lien believes that Taiwan's system leans toward a Cabinet system and that the party or alliance which controls a legislative majority should be given due respect in the formation of a Cabinet. The election will be a vote of public confidence in the two men.
The post-election situation will depend very much on what happens to the KMT. The DPP, TSU and PFP are going all out to split the KMT. The pan-green camp has Lien as its prime target. The idea of KMT-PFP cooperation after Saturday has become even more difficult now that Chen has launched an attack on Lien. In fact, Chen's attacks on both the KMT and PFP have created more uncertainties for his plan to set up a national stabilization alliance after Saturday.
Having the people decide who should stay and who should go is the essence of democratic politics. Political parties and politicians whose platforms and performance are not accepted by the people should pack up and leave the political arena. This coming election will be an opportunity to actualize political accountability. For Lien, the election has become his fight to keep the KMT chairman's seat. However, the way the KMT reacts to public opinion is different from that of democratic parties. The green camp's aggressive campaign against Lien may cause the KMT leadership to dig deeper into their trenches. But this is an era of democratic politics. Having gone against public opinion, the KMT appears set for burial after the election.
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