The DPP's ninth annual National Congress closed yesterday, overclouded by talk of vote-buying and power-grabbing, which made it impossible for the party to reach any solid conclusions regarding its values or future direction as a ruling party, party heavyweights said.
"The public questions the DPP's ability to help President Chen carry out the DPP platform as well as his campaign promises, and the party's Congress made no effort to give an answer to this question which would point out the party's direction," said Hong Chi-chang (
Hong said that over the past 13 years the DPP's annual Congress has played a key role in Taiwan's democratic development because party leaders always tried to raise a debate or announce a historical declaration about the country's future. Party leaders, however, apparently kept their countenance to avoid getting involved in any issues related to party reform, waiting to see what President Chen wanted, Hong said.
"Most party officials at the party's central headquarters joined the new government, and therefore party factions' leaders still waiting to see what the president has to say before expressing their own opinions," Hong said.
Another issue that party heavyweights worried about was that party factions' leaders used inappropriate measures -- such as vote buying and gift-giving -- to win the party's internal election for the Central Standing Committee, the party's top decision-making body.
Many DPP leaders said the DPP was looking increasingly like the KMT in its election processes.
"Vote-buying is no news at all to the DPP," said Lee Wen-chung (
He said tales of bribery were circulating as candidates for the party's 30-member central executive committee engaged in last-ditch efforts to gain support.
Some party delegates revealed that to be elected as one of 30 members of the Central Executive Committee, some candidates promised to pay up to NT$1.4 million just to buy one vote.
DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (
Presidential Office Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (
But he said that a decision had been arrived at by the party to crack down on any members found violating the rules.
"These efforts show that President Chen and the party are still committed to clean government," Chang said.
DPP Lawmaker Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said that vote-buying was a major element of Taiwan's "black-gold politics" problem and therefore he suggested a revision to the Election and Recall Laws to allow the Judiciary to investigate the internal elections of any political party.
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