MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S MAYORAL ELECTIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 004125 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S MAYORAL ELECTIONS Summary: As the aftermath of last Saturday's Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections stayed in the spotlight of the Taiwan media, news coverage on December 14 also focused on former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes; and on the opening of the trial of First Lady Wu Shu-chen Friday, who was indicted for involvement in the Presidential Office Allowance for State Affairs case. In terms of editorials and commentaries, the Taiwan dailies continued to editorialize on the mayoral election outcomes. An editorial in the pro-unification "United Daily News" discussed the relationship between KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou and his party and the challenges facing them. An editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" said the results of last Saturday's elections meant no setback for the KMT. An editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," however, urged the KMT to "become pro-localization" and to "ditch its outdated 'one China' policy." End summary. A) "Oil and Water: Have Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT Ever Become One?" The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (12/14): "Last Saturday's elections have not only failed to straighten out the complicated situation facing the KMT but have made it more confusing. The situation now facing Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT is: First, externally, they will likely face strong challenges of a 'Su-Hsieh ticket' or a 'Hsieh-Su ticket,' and second, internally, Ma's alleged misuse of the special mayoral allowance case will further complicate the KMT's primary for the 2008 presidential elections. [The KMT] is facing serious troubles both within and without. ... "... This paper's editorial pointed out yesterday that Ma's strength is in reality his weakness. Ma is unique and exceptional when viewed from one perspective, but he is also solitary and a lonely soul if viewed from another perspective. Ma is a political figure who was full of glamour when he visited the United States but is incapable of igniting the grass-root voters. One would probably view him as lacking nativism, but that's just because he refused to advocate the rectification of Taiwan's name and the writing a new constitution for the island. Others would call him 'political Teflon,' but he had shown support for Keelung Mayor Hsu Tsai-li, at least, before the latter was indicted for corruption. Ma seems to have tried to adjust, but the problem is that he and the KMT have always seemed slightly incompatible with each other. [The two] are like oil and water, and they cannot become one. ... "As it stands now, Ma and the KMT will face two major problems: First, ten days from now, namely, on December 25, Ma will step down from his position as Taipei mayor and will work solely as the party chairman. His role will be less complicated, and so will be his room to maneuver, but he will face more political ordeals. Second, if Ma is indicted for his alleged misuse of the special mayoral allowance, it remains unknown as yet whether or not his chairmanship will be suspended and whether he will thus be viewed as disqualified to run for the 2008 presidential elections. ..." B) "It Was No Setback for the Kuomintang" The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (12/14): "Most news reports on the results of last Saturday's mayoral elections alleged that the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has suffered a setback and that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) chances for success in the 2008 presidential elections have been boosted. That observation is incorrect, the way we see it. ... In light of these results, some analysts say that the defeat of the KMT in the Kaohsiung mayoral election is a signal that Ma as a prospective candidate in the next presidential election would be unable to gain much voter support in southern Taiwan. It is worthy to note that Huang Chun-yin, the KMT's candidate in the Kaohsiung mayoral election, gained approximately 100,000 votes more than those garnered by the 'pan-blue' alliance of Lien Chan and James Soong in the 2004 presidential election. "In addition, one must not forget that Frank Hsieh is a political heavyweight in the 'pan-green' camp and the DPP candidate who ran for Taipei mayor four years ago was a little known figure. ... In comparison, his rival in the mayoral election, Hau Lung-bin, has only served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, an organization under the Cabinet. Hau, in addition, was dogged by allegations from all other competitors in the mayoral race that his father, Hau Pei-tsun, a former premier, was involved in an embezzlement scandal. Therefore, one can hardly conclude the outcome of Saturday's elections was a victory for the DPP and a setback for the KMT. The fact is that Ma remains the favorite for the 2008 presidential election. Given that the DPP knows all the tricks of the trade, Ma and his party will have to work exceedingly hard to win." C) "Back to the Drawing Board" The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (12/14): "Following its electoral defeat in Kaohsiung and its loss of support in the Taipei mayoral race, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has held a number of meetings to pinpoint the reasons for its failure. ... The feebleminded KMT continues to ignore, or stubbornly refuses to acknowledge, that its pro-China propaganda is increasingly remote from mainstream public opinion. ... Time and again the KMT under Ma has sworn that its ultimate goal is unification with China. Its performance last Saturday should be a wake-up call for the party to reassess its policy and platform. ... It is time for the KMT to become pro-localization and identify with Taiwan. It is time for it to ditch its outdated 'one China' policy and stop deluding itself that China is its motherland and that one day it will rule there again. ..." YOUNG