Sun, May 19, 2002 page3

• `The KMT and PFP have the same roots'

  KMT legislator John Chang , the biological son of former president Chiang Ching-kuo and also a member of the party's Central Standing Committee, recently proposed a plan to merge the KMT and the PFP, but won little support from either party. In an interview with `Taipei Times' staff reporter Stephanie Low, Chang said he would continue to promote the idea, arguing that it will be difficult for the parties to agree on a joint ticket for the 2004 presidential election unless they merge first

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  Taipei Times: Could you elaborate on the rationale behind your idea for a KMT-PFP merger and how the merger should be accomplished?

  John Chang (章孝嚴): In my opinion, the two parties should cooperate with each other first before going further to form a merger. We should start to think about the merger after the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections are over. It will be very difficult for the two parties to cooperate in the elections for Taipei and Kaohsiung City councils, in which more than one seat are up for grabs. But it will be easier to cooperate in the case of a single-seat election, an example being the joint nomination of Wang Chien-shien by the "pan-blue" camp in last year's Taipei County commissioner election.

  However, no matter how close the cooperation is, the KMT and PFP will still consider things from the selfish perspective of their own parties and are unlikely to interact as if they are from one party. When it comes to the presidential election, a difficult problem will be how they are going to decide which candidates will be listed on a joint ticket. If they become one party, they can at least select the candidates according to a single process.

  

  KMT legislator John Chang gestures during an interview Wednesday.

  PHOTO: CHING YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  I think bi-partisan politics is more suitable for Taiwan, although we still have a long way to go before we might achieve the goal. I hope that the KMT and PFP become one party and the DPP and TSU also become one. It is quite likely that in the future, Taiwan will adopt a presidential system. Bi-partisan politics is typical of the US presidential system. Even in a country practicing a parliamentary system such as Britain, bi-partisan politics is also the convention. Politics tends to be chaotic and unstable in a country with more than two parties.

  At present, there are many problems that stand in the way of a KMT and PFP merger. But the two parties -- no matter what -- have the same roots. Just as they split because of the last presidential election, they could also become one again for the next election.

  It is commonly expected among supporters of the "pan-blue" camp that the two parties will become one and work closely together.

  I have felt this anticipation, and it was one of my promises during last year's legislative campaign to work to integrate the forces of the "pan-blue" camp.

  TT: Both the KMT and PFP have expressed little interest in the merger. Will you still continue to promote the idea?

  Chang: It is understandable that officials of both parties have not spoken out in favor of the idea. There definitely will be obstructions if the two parties attempt to merge. A concern is that many positions will be eliminated in the case of a merger and that there will be only one party chairman.

  But in reality, the two parties, apparently catalyzed by the proposal, have worked closer and closer. And the chairmen of the two parties have expressed their willingness to negotiate with each other on a wide range of issues, which include fielding joint candidates in the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections and even entering into a union to campaign in the 2004 presidential race.

  In other words, they are moving in this very direction. I feel pretty happy about seeing these developments over past weeks since I raised the idea. But I probably should continue my efforts to promote the idea.

  Some people within the KMT are against the idea because they fear that [PFP Chairman] James Soong's (宋楚瑜) influence will make its way into the KMT like a Trojan horse. But both sides also realize that they must work together. This is the dilemma.

  I believe I should act as the prime mover for the merger. [KMT Chairman] Lien Chan (連戰) and James Soong failed to run on the same ticket for the 2000 presidency, and I was the KMT's secretary general back then. I feel a lot of regret about that.

  TT: Lien Chan has recently indicated that he would not rule out the possibility of running for the presidency in 2004. With Lien's approval rating rather low, as the public polls show, are you at all optimistic about his chances of winning should he represent the KMT in the campaign?

  Chang: It would worry me most if both Lien and Soong were to run against each other, with each party fielding its own ticket. It would be a very difficult battle should this situation occur. If they were to field a joint ticket, one problem would be who should take the lead and who should be the running mate. This isn't a problem that can be resolved through negotiation.

  It is easier to resolve this problem under the framework of one party according to a commonly-accepted mechanism. It was impossible for Soong to return to the KMT back in 2000, but since Lien and Soong have decided to cooperate, they should jointly work out a process to solve the problem.

  TT: PFP Chairman James Soong has put forth the idea of a KMT-PFP union to jointly campaign for the presidential election and form a coalition government after winning the race. It seems Soong is trying to play down the issue of who should be the presidential candidate. Is it possible that Soong, in order to calm anti-Soong forces within the KMT, would make a compromise and accept the appointment of premier in a future KMT-PFP coalition, instead of vying for the position of president or vice president?

  Chang: We can't rule out this possibility, but the chances of this are quite meager. The position of premier cannot compare with the position of president, especially when a politician wants to put his ideals into practice. As our system of government is leaning toward that of a presidential system, the premier is no more than the president's chief of staff. It is also uncertain as to how long one can hold the premiership.

  Even if Soong were willing to make the compromise, would his party and his supporters agree to it? This would be a problem. It's only logical to assume that Soong has been paving the way for his next presidential bid since he founded the PFP. The party is virtually led by Soong alone and would suffer a serious blow if Soong gave up on his presidential bid.

  TT: Some pro-localization politicians within the KMT have expressed strong opposition against the KMT's plan to cooperate with the PFP and think that the KMT has overestimated the influence of the PFP, on the grounds that the PFP has a very weak support base in central and southern Taiwan. Do you agree with this argument?

  Chang: The KMT and PFP share many similarities, and the PFP, during the last legislative elections, won over a lot of voters that should have gone to the KMT. The KMT lost many legislative seats as a result, although together the two parties still control over half of the seats in the legislature. Because of this, some people have felt unhappy with the PFP and have been on guard against the party.

  But a presidential election is different from legislative elections. We should not underestimate Soong's personal charisma. In the last presidential election, not only did ethnic mainlanders support him, but a large number of native Taiwanese also voted for him. Though he won relatively less votes in southern Taiwan, he was still able to garner a significant number of votes and was stronger than the KMT's ticket. It would be a mistake to overestimate him, but it would be an even graver mistake to underestimate him.

  TT: Some have feared that a KMT-PFP merger would push the KMT further right on the independence-unification spectrum. Do you think this would be a problem?

  Chang: The KMT is very explicit as far as its cross-strait policy is concerned. We insist on developing cross-strait relations according to the Guidelines for National Unification and the "1992 consensus." It is unlikely that the KMT would become a right-wing party just because of the merger.

  It has been our long-standing policy to keep the interests of Taiwan in mind while developing ties with China. We have not leaned toward China, and "Taiwan first" has always been the policy that we stick to.

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