Ma set to run for KMT chair

By Xie Yu (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-06-09 23:09

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou is expected to officially announce his bid for chairmanship of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) on Wednesday, local media said Tuesday.

Ma, who previously served as KMT chairman between July 2005 and February 2007, will make the announcement at a press conference after a KMT central committee meeting, the Taipei-based United Evening News reported.

There has been increasing speculation that Ma, elected “president” of the island in March last year, will double as the KMT chairman.

The KMT is scheduled to hold an election for chairman on July 26.

Current KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung confirmed to media on Monday that Ma may attend the upcoming election for KMT chairman, Taipei-based China Times reported yesterday.

The newspaper quoted Wu as saying that Ma had “told me of his plan some time ago”.

Wu Nengyuan, director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Fujian Academy of Social Sciences, said Ma is very likely to take over the KMT chairmanship.

“If so, it will take us some time to find out whether Ma can maintain the positive momentum of frequent contact and warming ties between the KMT and the mainland,” he said.

Wu Poh-hsiung has held two rounds of talks with Hu Jintao, general-secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and also attended the CPC-KMT forum held in Shanghai last December.

Wu Nengyuan said it might be hard for Ma to do as much as Wu Poh-hsiung had done in boosting cross-Straits relations, since he “has more pressure and must consider different opinions.”

As the power struggle between “reunification” and “secession” remains fierce on the island, Taiwan media is concerned Ma might face strong opposition for attending the meeting between leaders of the CPC and KMT if he takes over the chairmanship.

Hong Kong-based China Review News said it would “definitely harm Taiwan’s interest” if the talks between the CPC and KMT leaders deteriorate. And Ma’s pivotal task during this period should be to ensure that the summit between CPC and KMT proceeds smoothly.

The KMT will start accepting applications for registration next Monday.

Wu Poh-hsiung has indicated he would not compete with Ma if Ma wanted to run in the election.

Ma resigned as KMT chairman in February 2007 after he was indicted on charges of corruption and Wu Poh-hsiung has since been acting as chairman.