KMT CAUCUS EMBARRASSES CHAIRMAN MA . . . AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001328

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: KMT CAUCUS EMBARRASSES CHAIRMAN MA . . . AGAIN


Classified By: Deputy Director David J. Keegan. Reason(s): 1.4 (B/D).


1. (C) Summary: KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou professed
"surprise" at the KMT caucus decision April 11 to reject
Hsieh Wen-ding, President Chen's nominee for
Prosecutor-General. Ma has been publicly promising a more
rational, responsible KMT legislative voting bloc to get
beyond years of legislative gridlock, and he had publicly
urged KMT legislators to vote "openly and responsibly" on the
Hsieh nomination. Without informing Chairman Ma, however,
the KMT caucus scuttled the Hsieh nomination in a secret
ballot. A chastened Ma stated that he "respected" the
caucus's decision but that he hoped KMT legislators in the
future would vote "rationally and responsibly." This is the
second time in as many months that the KMT caucus has
directly crossed Ma without repercussions -- last month KMT
legislators refused to approve Ma's proposal for an
alternative defense budget. KMT insiders are beginning to
question whether Ma can lead the party if he can't control
the caucus. End Summary.


2. (C) On April 11, President Chen's nominee for State
Prosecutor-General, Hsieh Wen-ding, was rejected by the
Legislative Yuan (LY). Hsieh had been widely seen as the
best qualified candidate for the post, and was expected to
win the requisite simple LY majority (105 of the 208
legislators present). Instead, in a strictly party-line
vote, Hsieh was rejected by a vote of 101 in favor, 19
against, and 88 invalid votes. The invalid votes were blank
ballots cast by members of the Pan-Blue alliance, the
Kuomintang Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP).


3. (C) KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou told the press that Hsieh's
defeat came as a "surprise" to him. Two days before the
vote, Ma said, he had met with Executive Policy Director
Tseng Yung-chuan to discuss the party's stance on Hsieh's

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nomination, and to request the caucus to hold an open vote to
expedite a final decision. Ma claimed publicly that the KMT
Policy Department had pledged that the party's legislative
caucus would hold an open vote on the nomination. The
caucus, however, later opposed Hsieh's nomination, without
even informing Chairman Ma. Ma stated that he believes LY
approval of a presidential nominee should focus on a review
of the nominee's qualifications, not political affiliation.
Ma said he respected the LY decision as the will of the
majority of legislators, but urged his own KMT caucus to take
a "rational and responsible attitude" during the
decision-making process in the future, taking into account
public opinion.


4. (C) Ma's failure to rein in the KMT caucus provoked
Taiwan media and DPP critics to sharply question his
leadership ability. Ma himself dismissed these criticisms,
explaining that he did not intend to control the caucus like
a dictator. Some KMT legislators told the press that the
caucus had been hijacked by former-PFP "hardliners," while
others said Chairman Ma and party leaders had not made their
position sufficiently clear to the caucus before the vote.


5. (C) KMT legislator and Ma defense advisor Su Chi
defended the caucus's action to AIT, saying that the KMT
caucus had ample reason to reject Hsieh because he had failed
to give a firm commitment to vigorously investigate
corruption at its highest (read Presidential Office) levels.
He surmised that KMT Policy Director Tseng may have fallen
down in keeping the KMT caucus fully informed of Ma's
position on the nomination, noting that Tseng is close to LY
President Wang Jin-pyng and may have been advancing Wang's
agenda by keeping quiet. Su also speculated that Ma himself
was distracted by and busy with Taipei City Council affairs
the day of caucus deliberations, and LY leadership may have
been unable to reach him for input.


6. (C) Comment: This is the second time in as many months
that KMT legislators have embarrassed their Chairman and
probable 2008 presidential nominee, after their mid-March
failure to support Ma's promised alternative arms procurement
proposal. To his credit, Ma wants to instill democracy in
his party apparatus and resists trying to dictate how KMT
legislators vote. Unfortunately, however, this has created
the impression that Ma has failed to establish himself

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solidly as KMT leader, a serious image problem in the run up
to the 2008 presidential election. While Ma has made a
number of missteps since the beginning of the year and has
experienced several leadership setbacks in recent weeks, the
situation may not be as dire as the media intimates. For
years, Ma kept his distance from party machinery to avoid
getting dirty. Therefore, he doesn't fully know how it works
or how to use it to his advantage. Ma's natural tendency is
to use a "soft-touch" approach, trusting others to follow his
example without resorting to coercion. That approach,
however, may not work with the KMT's rambunctious and proud
legislators, which may force Chairman Ma to decide whether he
must, or can, crack the whip. End Comment.
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