Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: KMT/Facebook
THE TPP AND KMT held talks on possible cooperation for the election yesterday. After a three-hour meeting, both parties held press conferences, with the minutes of the meeting released.
The meeting takes place in the wake of a proposal from TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je that opposition candidates hold a primary to determine the strongest possible candidate for opposition candidates, while others should withdraw. With a divided vote in the pan-Blue camp between KMT candidate Hou You-yi, TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je, and independent Terry Gou, it is anticipated that this significantly increases the odds of a DPP victory. By contrast, as the pan-Green camp is only fielding William Lai of the DPP, this will not divide the vote.
Both parties have not agreed to hold primaries yet, though plans are for negotiations to continue. In particular, the major stumbling block is the format by which a primary would take place. The TPP prefers telephone polling to take place, while the KMT would prefer a primary conducted with voting stations and ID checks.
Photo credit: TPP/Facebook
However, for the KMT’s notion of in-person voting stations, those who vote would be required to sign a pledge that they hope for the removal of the DPP from office. As Ko’s proposal was for the unification of opposition forces, it would be awkward if non-pan-Blue opposition parties such as the NPP were also to participate.
Nevertheless, both parties have agreed to hold debates. This will take the form of three televised debates.
Both parties also differ on the preferred timeline for holding primaries and debates. The TPP prefers that this take place before October 31st, while the KMT prefers that this take place between November 5th and November 10th. But the clock is ticking on the time left to hold a primary, whatever form this takes.
The TPP has stated it has doubts about an in-person primary, stating that it had problems using in-person primaries in the past, although one in fact imagines that it would also be possible to influence a telephone poll. The KMT has, on the other hand, stressed that in-person primaries take place in France, the US, and Japan. The KMT leadership otherwise downplayed criticisms that in-person primaries were not used to decide its presidential candidate, stating that deciding a candidate between a party coalition is different from the internal decision regarding a presidential candidate for one party.
Otherwise, both parties pledged to cooperate to maximize the number of legislative seats the pan-Blue camp gets, though it is to be seen if this includes KMT candidates backing out in favor of TPP candidates or vice-versa. One expects local KMT and TPP politicians would not be happy about the idea, if so. Both parties pledged to cooperate after the election, as well.
It is to be questioned whether the TPP questions an in-person primary as a way out of an alliance with the KMT it actually does not want. The TPP has staked much on the claim to be politically separate from the KMT, as a result of which some of its voter base may see it aligning with the KMT as a betrayal. But the TPP may not wish to come off as the party that is unwilling to cooperate.
Photo credit: KMT/Facebook
Surprisingly, the KMT has endorsed a proposal from the TPP to shift Taiwan toward a cabinet-run system, which would replace the position of president with prime minister. The idea was proposed by Ko Wen-je in the last month but would require substantial changes to the political system that would likely involve changing the constitution. As such, the idea is not likely a serious one, even if apparently the KMT has now signed onto it. Even so, during the meeting, the KMT was more hesitant about the TPP advocating phasing out the Examination Yuan and Control Yuan as part of this proposal.
The KMT, likewise, called for an investigation into the DPP’s corruption once it is out of office. It is to be questioned if the KMT hopes to conduct a party assets-style probe targeting the DPP or if it hopes to jail President Tsai Ing-wen–not unlike Chen Shui-bian’s jail stint once he ended his second term. The TPP expressed more reservations on the idea.
It is to be seen if both sides manage to iron out their differences, then. In the meantime, Terry Gou continues to claim that it is possible that he aligns with Ko Wen-je for the presidential race, likely floating the idea to try and sabotage negotiations between the TPP and KMT. It can also be anticipated that the DPP will try to amplify tensions between the KMT and TPP to prevent a possible alignment from taking place.