Word: kmt
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Telegenic, articulate and highly educated (he has a doctorate in juridical science from Harvard), Taipei Mayor and Kuomintang (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou is the frontrunner to become Taiwan's President in the next election in 2008. Ma, who turns 56 this week, spoke with Time's Zoher Abdoolcarim and Natalie Tso about the scandals swirling around President Chen Shui-bian, cross-strait relations with China and his vision for Taiwan...
...What about tackling corruption in the KMT? We have set up a "clean government" commission to monitor our officials. When I was justice minister more than 12 years ago, I cracked down on corruption and vote-buying. I have a reputation for being clean and impartial, [and] we know that how clean we are determines our future...
...KMT regain power in 2008? If the President stays on, it actually works to our benefit. But it's not in the interest of his Democratic Progressive Party. If they're reluctant to say goodbye to him, they'll pay a big price...
...Beijing has hundreds of missiles pointed at Taiwan. Do you trust China's leaders? No. If they don't do something about the missiles, we won't negotiate. [But] during the two trips [former KMT chairman] Lien Chan made to China, what was missing was actually more important than what was present: "one country, two systems" and "unification of the motherland" were never mentioned by any Chinese official. Many in Taiwan believe that Hu Jintao is much more sophisticated than his predecessors in understanding Taiwan. He represents a different generation of leaders, more pragmatic, less ideological...
...This standoff is rooted in the past. For much of Taiwan's modern history, the island was essentially a one-party state ruled by the KMT, which brooked little dissent. Only in 1986 did then President Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek's son, allow the presence of an opposition party, only a year later did he lift martial law and government control of the press, and only last year did the KMT properly elect its own party leader for the first time. The KMT is not accustomed to being out of power. Instead of working together with the administration...