DPP CHAIRPERSON TSAI ING-WEN ON CHALLENGES FACING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000892 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR TW SUBJECT: DPP CHAIRPERSON TSAI ING-WEN ON CHALLENGES FACING PARTY AND U.S. ARMS SALES Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reasons: 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: New DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen told the Director on June 20 that so far she has been accepted by party elders, whose support she needs to carry out reforms to strengthen the party's structure. The opposition DPP needs to reduce the damaging infighting in party primaries and to build an independent party membership that is not tied to local politicians. Tsai doubted President Ma Ying-jeou will be able to sustain his gains in the DPP's southern heartland, explaining that domestic problems, especially inflation, will reduce support there for Ma. Tsai expressed hope that the U.S. arms sales issue will be resolved before President Bush leaves office. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The Director called on new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen on June 20 for a discussion of political developments. Tsai was accompanied by DPP International Affairs Director Lin Chen-wei. The Director noted he had recently discussed with Secretary Rice how the presidential election had further strengthened Taiwan's democracy. Voter turnout was high, the DPP accepted the results, and there was a smooth transition. Taiwan has avoided the kinds of setbacks that a number of countries have encountered in their early democratic evolution. The U.S. sincerely hopes the DPP will serve as a balancer to the KMT, which is worried itself about the potential corrupting effects of having too much power. DPP Politics -------------- ¶3. (C) The Director congratulated Tsai on her election as party chairperson and observed that because it is now out of power, the DPP has a good opportunity to reform and turn to a younger leadership. Tsai agreed but noted the difficulty for party members to accept change and wake up to the fact that a "stranger," with little experience in DPP affairs, is now leading their party. Tsai said she was working to gain the trust of party elders so she could move forward with changes without them feeling uncomfortable. Party elders were watching her closely, Tsai explained, but so far they are generally happy with her public statements about issues. ¶4. (C) Structurally, the DPP is a very weak party, Tsai observed. The emphasis on democracy within the party means candidates are always competing with each other for votes in primary and party elections. Internal fights have damaged the party's candidates, a major reason for the DPP's losses in the last two (legislative and presidential) elections. The system needs to be changed so that the party's primaries will be less fratricidal. ¶5. (C) Tsai suggested the party's membership needs some restructuring because it does not reflect the DPP's support base. The DPP has a loose structure and relies on candidates to recruit party members. Politicians recruit party members to support them in primary elections, and therefore the DPP membership is closely tied to primaries. These are not real party members and their dues are not paid if there is no primary election at the time. Tsai noted that she had encountered many enthusiastic supporters in the streets, but 99 percent of the DPP's supporters were not party members. ¶6. (C) Tsai did not foresee any surprises in the upcoming DPP party congress to be held in July. The factions are coordinating with each other on candidates for elected party leadership positions. The factions are represented by younger generation leaders, and it is easier for them than for their elders to achieve consensus. The party's professional staff is also younger than before, Tsai added. ¶7. (C) The Director asked about the effects of the corruption charges against some DPP officials for misuse of special funds. KMT officials were also subject to such charges, Tsai pointed out. The real issue is system failure, not corruption. The question now is whether the Legislative Yuan (LY) will make some proposed changes in the law to TAIPEI 00000892 002 OF 003 clarify the status and use of special funds. Tsai suggested that former President Chen Shui-bian's state affairs fund case may be similar to the other cases, though it is not yet clear. Nonetheless, Chen will face a difficult time ahead. Many in the DPP still like Chen, however, and over time more people will forgive him. After Ma has been in office a few months and if the economy is still like it is now, then people will have a better assessment of what Chen achieved, Tsai observed. ¶8. (C) Tsai acknowledged that the DPP has been weak in Hakka areas in recent years. However, there is a chance for a comeback, she said, noting the DPP won elections in these areas in the past. Tsai said the Hakka find her acceptable since she does not speak Taiwanese all the time. If a leader makes himself or herself more accessible by speaking an understandable language, the people will feel closer. Frank Hsieh's ticket would have been more coherent if Yeh Chu-lan, a Hakka woman, rather than Su Tseng-chang had been his vice presidential running mate, Tsai suggested. ¶9. (C) Tsai told the Director she was not worried about Ma Ying-jeou's continued political offensive to attract DPP supporters in southern Taiwan because people in the south are upset by the inflation under the Ma administration. In future elections, the DPP will first work to consolidate its base in the south and then strive to make a comeback in the north. If the DPP retains the six counties and cities it now holds in the 2009 local elections, that will be all right, and the party will be successful if it can add one more local government to its ranks. Tsai predicted the DPP will be able to maintain its current strength if it works hard, and the party also stands a good chance to win back Ilan County, now under KMT rule. Several DPP magistrates and mayors, who are completing their second term, will be ineligible to run for reelection. The DPP may move some of the more charismatic second term politicians, such as Kaohsiung County Magistrate Yang Chiu-hsing, to compete in other districts in 2009. Cross-Strait Relations -------------- ¶10. (C) The public, while now tolerant toward the Ma administration, will want to see that it is willing and able to stand firm on certain issues, Tsai maintained. She expressed concern that the KMT, feeling a sense of urgency, has been giving away too much on cross-Strait issues. Taiwan probably could have obtained more from Beijing if it had not publicly announced a July 4 deadline for beginning weekend cross-Strait charter flights, Tsai suggested. The KMT has not been careful in negotiating strategy, for example, preemptively saying it could accept participation in the WHO as "Chinese Taipei" without receiving any assurances from the other side. Tsai also believed that Ma is under pressure from China and certain parts of the KMT to endorse the 2005 "agreement" between then KMT chairman Lien Chan and PRC President Hu Jintao. Ma's domestic policies have made him unpopular, and he is also weakening his negotiating position vis-a-vis China. U.S. Arms Sales; Ma's Former Green Card -------------- ¶11. (C) Tsai expressed serious concern about the status of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and said she hoped the issue could be resolved before President Bush leaves office. Tsai also asked about President Ma's green card status. The Director responded in general terms that cases involving green card status are complex. Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) Thoughtful and a strong manager, Tsai has identified several weaknesses in the party structure and may well be able over time to strengthen the effectiveness of the DPP. Tsai's moderate and soft spoken personality, as well as her academic and professional qualifications, will appeal to those in the center of Taiwan's political spectrum in a way TAIPEI 00000892 003 OF 003 that more strident DPP politicians do not. Her low-key personality may also disarm her competitors, who would do well not to underestimate Tsai. YOUNG