Vowing to continue reform efforts so the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will win the 2008 presidential election, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took over the helm of the party yesterday, while his supporters pushed through proposals to reform the KMT's power structure.
Ma won a very great victory. Not only did he take the helm, he has secured a public promise of cooperation from Wang, whom he ran a very dirty, negative campaign against. Anyone who wants a preview of 2008, when Ma is likely to be Presidential candidate for the KMT, should review the way Ma painted Wang as a corrupt, vote-stealing insider against reform. For all of his usual spinelessnesss, Ma came out swinging.
In addition to securing his Wang Flank, Ma also won on key party votes:
The KMT's "Chairman Ma era" got underway yesterday afternoon when the delegates passed a proposal to allow them to directly elect the party's 31 Central Standing Committee (CSC) members. The motion was carried by more than 856 delegates. The CSC vote will be held today.
The delegates also gave their approval to Ma's nominees for four vice-chairperson posts: incumbents Taichung Mayor Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤), as well as Lin Cheng-chi (林澄枝) and John Kuan (關中). A total of 952 delegates raised their hands to support the appointments.
A proposal to amend the KMT's constitution to extend the terms of CSC members from one year to two was rejected. Other constitutional amendments that passed included abolishing an article which stipulates that members who are disciplined or expelled cannot be candidates for the Central Standing Committee or party chairman.
This means that in 2007, during the run-up to the election in March of 2008, it will be Ma's people, not Wang's, running the KMT show. The KMT being a pro-Beijing party, Ma also got a congratulatory note from his spiritual masters there:
Meanwhile, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent a congratulatory message Ma yesterday, according to a Beijing-based Xinhuanet report.
Ma has attempted to craft a China stance that will please everyone, arguing that Taiwan cannot be annexed to China until China is democratic. I suspect that if the election were held today, Ma would win handily against any of the candidates that the DPP can field at the moment -- Frank Hsieh, who is looking klutzy in the PM post (what a stupid idea that was) and Su. Annette Lu is apparently nursing fantasies of being President (I dream of the blogging opportunities a Lu presidency would afford). However, there are still a couple of years between now and 2008, and it will be interesting to see how much KMT mud can be made to stick to the squeaky clean Ma. The DPP has won two elections against the richest political party in the world, one without restraint or scruple. I have confidence that they will find a way to beat Ma in 2008.
[Taiwan]
5 comments:
"Taichung Mayor Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄)"?? Does Jason Hu know about this?
Is it just me, or do you get the sneaking suspicion the KMT would love to sell Taiwan down the river to the PRC, and in turn the PRC would let the KMT and their cronies run Taiwan. They must be gnashing their teeth to be out of power and would sell their own mothers into brothels to get it back. They would be like the Vichy government in France. Or maybe you can think of an analogy.
Wu Po-hisung is still mayor, dincha know? And Jason Hu is still the ambassador to the US. Just another example of the way the KMT lives in the past :)
Is it just me, or do you get the sneaking suspicion the KMT would love to sell Taiwan down the river to the PRC, and in turn the PRC would let the KMT and their cronies run Taiwan.
I think that's the plan. And Ma is just the fellow to become Tung Chee-hwa here, too. Harvard educated, loved by China....
Michael
I can just picture Lien at that parade the PRC staged for him, thoughts running through his mind. Yes, I am the chosen leader. Once again I will rightfully rule. Of course, I'll have to return to Beijing from time to time to lick some boots, but most of the time I'll be the boss. Of course, we might have to shut down the press a bit. Maybe have a few sham trials. But... it will just be like the good old days really... in fact my new bosses like that kind of thing... Tell me how the KMT would have reacted in the opposite situation. Lien and Soong should be put on trial for treason. Better yet, a sham trial. Or deal with them extra-judicially... just like the good old days...
Who knows what deals Lien and Soong set up during their private chats with the PRC? My question is, what can PRC do to secretly help their new agents on the inside? What can we expect? Something like Reagan's deal with Iraq for example. Maybe next election PRC lobs a missile into one of Taiwan's harbors. Maybe they continue to tighten the screws economically. Let's think outside the box here, now that PRC has its moles, what actions could they take to help get them elected.
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