Sun, Feb 12, 2006 page8

• Editorial: DPP moving in the right direction

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  The administration of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have made serious efforts to reform both the government and the party's image since their resounding defeat in last December's local elections. They are hoping to win back the trust of the public to build new momentum.

  It is widely believed that the Kaohsiung MRT scandal and the involvement of former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) were the straws that broke the camel's back in those elections for the DPP. Top priority is now being given to distancing the party from the corruption that tainted its image.

  After all, Chen and the DPP were elected into office on a promise to stamp out the "black gold" politics that dogged successive Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governments. Voters supported the DPP for the first time because they perceived party members to be "real" people who had endured hardship over the years while working their way up the political ladder from the grassroots. They believed that politicians from such humble backgrounds could best understand their hopes and aspirations.

  However, within a few short years of the DPP's rise to power, allegations of corruption and scandals within the party began to leave the public disillusioned, not to mention the often exaggerated media depictions of the lavish lifestyles being led by some among the new elite of rich and powerful DPP members. Unsurprisingly, the general public began to feel distant from those in power. The humble backgrounds of the politicians that used to inspire a sense of endearment now seemed to confirm that politicians are all the same once they get their hands on power.

  Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that the Executive Yuan last week adopted a regulation that requires all appointed officials to have their property and assets placed into trust after they take up political posts. This new regulation goes one level higher than existing rules, which only require political administrators to declare their assets and property.

  In addition, officials at the Presidential Office, including the president himself -- although it is not required by the new regulation -- will also place their assets into trust. The president had already begun to do so in 2004.

  While the move is clearly a step in the right direction, the reform efforts should not stop here. The DPP desperately needs to rediscover its core ideals and values. A political party should not consist of a group of people who help each other obtain power and then share the rewards of that power among themselves. They should be people united in the conviction of achieving common goals for the good of the nation. Some members of the DPP should ask themselves what the reasons were that prompted them to join politics in the first place.

  President Chen's recent speech concerning the abolition of the National Unification Council and unification guidelines, joining the UN under the name "Taiwan" and holding a referendum on a new constitution are refreshing ideas designed to put the DPP's core values back in the public eye.

  The right to self-determination and sovereignty -- these are the core values of the DPP. People may have different opinions within the party on how to accomplish these goals, but there should be no debate over the goals themselves. The DPP needs to rediscover a sense of unity based around these common goals. Political bickering and struggles within the party should be replaced by rational discussion and debate. Otherwise, with all the infighting and division within the party, it will be hard for the public and other observers to see how the DPP differs from the nation's other political parties.
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