Independent presidential candidate James Soong
"I don't want to overthrow the party," Soong was quoted as saying. "It's a reform, not a revolution."
If Soong wins the election, his relationship with the KMT -- particularly the party's current chairman and President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- will be crucial in determining how smooth the transfer of power will be, the AWSJ story said.
The Journal noted that Lee's harsh criticism of his one-time protegee could lead to a post election battle between Soong's and Lee's supporters for control of the party.
Soong told the AWSJ that he would try to reduce the ruling-party's involvement in the day to dayrunning of the government. "If I am elected, we must have a new kind of vision," Soong was quoted as saying.
He went on to say that he wanted to see Taiwan move toward what he called an "American model" of administration with the party and government leadership clearly divided.
Soong told the Journal that an election loss was just what was needed to shake-up the ruling party. "Only that big setback will help them to awaken," he was quoted as saying.
The Asian Wall Street Journal also ran an editorial yesterday headlined "The Challenge to the KMT."
The editorial predicted that no matter what the election outcome, the KMT would likely be forced to reform and the quality of government to improve working democracy in Taiwan.
Should Soong win this election, there is a strong possibility that he could retake control of the party, the newspaper's editorial said. If the DPP's Chen Shui-bian
Even if Vice President Lien Chan (
Corrupt practices of the KMT that were long tolerated are now generating significant resistance, the editorial said.
"No matter what the outcome of the election, democratic pressure will tend to improve the quality of government," the editorial said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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