The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) criminal usurpation and looting of state assets during its long rule in Taiwan have once again surfaced. After the KMT's Lien Chan (
In the run-up to the 2000 election, then independent presidential candidate James Soong (
But after the Chung Hsing Bills Finance embezzlement scandal was exposed, he lost the reformist facade he had worked so hard to create.
Depending on the China ideologists in the KMT core and the local politicians with whom he had built a relationship during his terms as provincial governor was not enough to win the presidential election.
Now Soong and his erstwhile political rival Lien have teamed up for the upcoming election. Does Soong still pretend to be a reformer?
How does he respond to the KMT's usurpation and robbery of state assets? Of course, he is now left with only one choice -- joining forces with Lien.
The KMT has one renowned member, Ma Ying-jeou (
Unlike Soong, Ma is immune to any repercussions from political persecution cases such as the Kaohsiung Incident or the Chen Wen-cheng (
But how should Ma defend his party, as it once again has to face social criticism regarding its looting of state assets? How should he keep himself out of trouble?
Soong's betrayal of the KMT allowed him to pretend to hold up the banner of reform.
But since Ma, the KMT's poster boy and future star, belongs to the party, can he claim that his party is dirty while he himself is clean? Serving as the chief of the Lien-Soong campaign headquarters, he has to bear all the burdens of not only the KMT but also of Lien and Soong.
The KMT is its own worst enemy, and there is no way it can rid itself of such an enemy. Nor can Ma break away from such an inexorable fate. What blocks the KMT's restoration to power is not just the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, but also the force of justice. That force leaves society a slim chance of survival and brings Taiwan boundless hope.
Lee Min-yung is a poet and president of the Taiwan Peace Foundation.
Translated by Jackie Lin
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