Mon, Dec 05, 2005 page3

• Pan-blue unity crucial: analysts

  COOPERATION WINS The KMT will need to repair ties with the PFP, as it will need the party's help in the legislature and in the 2007 legislative elections

  • By Mo Yan-chih / STAFF REPORTER
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  As the curtain dropped on Saturday's local government elections, the resounding victory of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presented the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with the challenge of solving internal disputes and deciding whether to make concessions on cross-strait policy.

  But the triumphant KMT also faces daunting challenges, with solid pan-blue unity needed badly for next year's mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung, and the legislative elections in 2007, political analysts said.

  "The pan-blue camp lost four legislators with its victory in the elections, and therefore lost its slight majority in the legislature. So the burning issue for the KMT is to seek pan-blue cooperation in the Legislative Yuan, and victory in upcoming elections," said Wang Yeh-li (王業立), a political science professor at Tunghai University.

  

  Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei County commissioner-elect Chou Hsi-wei thanks supporters during a parade yesterday in Banciao, Taipei County. Chou switched from the People First Party (PFP) to run as the KMT's candidate in the county, causing some bad feelings between the two parties. Analysts say mending divisions between the KMT and the PFP will be crucial for the KMT to build on its success in the weekend's elections.

  PHOTO: JEROME FAVRE, AP

  Regarding the Taipei mayoral race, Emile Sheng (盛治仁), a political science professor at Soochow University, told the Taipei Times that the result of the Taipei County commissioner election -- which served as an indicator of the DPP's chances of winning the Taipei mayoral race -- highlighted the difficulties the party faces in winning the country's capital.

  "Luo Wen-chia's (羅文嘉) crushing defeat shows that the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp [KRTC] scandal significantly damaged the DPP, and it may be difficult for the party to recover fully by next year's mayoral election," he said.

  The difficulties the DPP face in finding strong candidates for the mayoral elections after Luo and several promising stars suffered defeat in the local-government elections, however, doesn't guarantee an easy victory for the KMT.

  Although critics agreed that the KMT's landslide victory initiated the "Ma era" for the party, as the win gives Ma more leverage over the pan-blue camp, it may be not an easy task for the chairman, who is also Taipei mayor, to find a successor who will be embraced by the whole camp.

  While former Taipei deputy mayor Ou Chin-der (歐晉德), a close aide to Ma, has been viewed as Ma's favored successor, Ma yesterday declined to comment on the issue.

  "Since we will have a party primary [to select the candidate], I can only encourage those who are interested in the position to run in the primary even though I may have an ideal candidate in mind," he said yesterday during an interview with China TV.

  The Taipei mayoral race could be crucial for both Ma and his party. However, Wu Chung-li (吳重禮), a political science professor at National Chung Cheng University, said the Kaohsiung mayoral election could be a more important test of Ma's popularity, as the area has been in the hands of the pan-green camp.

  "The KRTC scandal did hurt the DPP deeply, but whether the KMT will win the Kaohsiung mayoral race remains in question. I'd say it would be a significant success if Ma's KMT takes over the city from the DPP next year," Wu said.

  The legislative election, meanwhile -- which will be held just three months before the 2008 presidential election -- will be the key skirmish prior to the presidential poll.

  "As the `single-member district, two-vote system' will be adopted in the legislative election, the race will be a battle between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, instead of a race among political parties. The one who fails to unite his or her camp will be the loser," Wang said.

  Expressing a similar view, Kao Yuang-kuang (高永光), dean of the social science college at National Chengchi University, stressed the importance of Ma putting more effort toward seeking pan-blue cooperation.

  The local government elections inevitably damaged relations between the KMT and the People First Party (PFP), with PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) complaining about the KMT's insistence on fielding its own mayoral candidate in Keelung City, where the PFP's candidate had a good chance of winning.

  "Ma has to do some damage control over the fragile KMT-PFP relationship, and also solve the fierce power struggle within his party," he said.

  Sheng agreed, adding that Ma and the KMT won't be able to expand their current popularity if they fail to fulfill promises to reform.

  "The KMT has a bad habit of becoming inactive whenever it is in the lead. We don't want to see it get dizzy with success this time," he said.

  Ma has said he will pay a visit to Soong and try to repair relations between the KMT and the PFP.

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