KMT members decide to embrace the future this morning!

This is a battle between old KMT and new KMT. It is exciting moment to know that new KMT overwhelmed the old one this morning. However I am not saying that the old one is the bad one. Instead people shouldn't forget the glorious history of old KMT.
After KMT was defeated by CCP in 1949, Chiang started his experiments in this small island, Taiwan. The initial step by corrupt governor was a big failure. The conflict between local people and migrants from mainland eventually led to 228, in which thousands died. Most of them were slaughtered by KMT army. After 228, Chiang realized that he and his party must establish a close tie with local people who had received Japanese colonial education for many years before the WWII ended. One of most extraordinary measure by Chiang was to establish the half-democratic peasant association which allows peasants voicing for their own benefits. Simultaneously land reform started and eventually became the solid foundation of Taiwan’s successful industrialization. Many Taiwanese joined KMT, and KMT formed a strong network since then.
However after almost half century advancement towards the modernization, Taiwan’s social structure has changed a lot. Middle class emerged and have become a major political force especially in the urban area. They want a more democratic and open society by their nature. They don't like corruptions either and all urged for a transparent reform. Part of them founded DPP, which is holding the governmental power right now. Still a lot of middle class stays in KMT and they have a more prominent instinct for the typical middle class than DPP's middle class members do: the will of stabilizing. They are mainland China friendly and mostly see China as an opportunity instead of a threat.
While middle class are growing, the political landscape of Taiwan has kept changing. KMT's local networks have grown into corrupt units, manipulated by small groups and stood for personal interests. The founder of libertytimes (No. 1 newspaper) is one of the typical characters who have been benefited by this corrupt relationship between KMT and local special interest groups. A lot of peasants have turned to DPP for their interests. As a result, both DPP and KMT found themselves in a strange situation in which supporters come from two very different social groups: middle class and grassroots. Apparently KMT is losing their foundation from grassroots, but the former party leader Lian’s decision for party's democratic reform expects to gain support from middle class. The first party leader election is then becoming the battle between old grassroots KMT and new middle class KMT. The lost candidate, Wang have won numerous supports from KMT’s legislators before the election. However people’s eyes are still clear. This morning Ma Ying-jeou, representing the new KMT won by a big margin. This is a good sign. This indicates that Taiwan has reached a new stage, a middle class stage, a stage that will not be forgotten by its transparency and prosperity no matter what turns out to be in dealing with mainland China in the future!


Ma Ying-jeou elected as new chairman of Chinese Kuomintang Party in Taiwan
www.chinaview.cn 2005-07-16 23:13:39
BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Ma Ying-jeou, an incumbent vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party (KMT) and Taipei Mayor, was elected as the new chairman of KMT in Taiwan Saturday.
Ma defeated another candidate, Wang Jyn-pyng, an incumbent vicechairman of KMT, by winning 72.36 percent of votes in Saturday's election, to take over as head of KMT from retiring Chairman Lien Chan.
Born in Hong Kong July 1950 to parents from Hunan Province on the Chinese mainland, Ma graduated from the Department of Law in Taiwan University, and then got the master's degree of law in New York University and doctor's degree of law in Harvard.
He used to be the English interpreter for Chiang Ching-kuo, late leader of KMT in Taiwan.
Ma was the vice secretary-general of KMT Central Committee between 1984 and 1988, and elected as Taipei Mayor in December 1998 and reelected in 2002.
He was elected as the vice chairman of KMT in March 2003.