Hualien County Executive Election: An Unavoidable Choice for the KMT

Hualien County Executive Election:
An Unavoidable Choice for the KMT
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 4, 2009

When the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic struck, Yeh Chin-chuan chose to resign his position and run for Hualien County Executive. He was mocked as the "Runaway Health Commissioner." For the KMT, its primary concern in the Hualien County Executive Election is that convicted candidate Fu Kuen-chi not be nominated. Is Yeh Chin-chuan a suitable candidate? Was his timing right and the nomination process fair? These are separate issues.
In terms of local politics, the public in Hualien County needs a County Executive who is competent and dedicated. Yeh Chin-chuan does not have to be the KMT candidate. But the Blue Camp primary candidate who has been receiving the loudest cheers is convicted felon Fu Kuen-chi. Therefore preventing Fu Kuen-chi from winning the election has become the KMT's number one priority.

Fu Kuen-chi has a wide lead in the polls. This is his payoff for long years of cultivating his political base. He has solid connections in both government and business, in the KMT and the PFP, in the central government and local government. This has given him national visibility. Unfortunately he violated the Securities Exchange Act and has been sentenced to four years in prison. This is the most serious blow to his candidacy. Given his political strength, he could decide to defect and campaign to the bitter end. A number of local candidates could choose to run against him. Fu could defeat both the Blue Camp and Green Camp candidates and win the County Executive seat. In the event he is elected County Executive but convicted and sentenced, a County Executive By-Election will be required. The result will be yet another case of "going to battle on behalf of so and so." Must the public in Hualien put up with such a farce?

The by-election would not merely require voters to cast their ballots a second time. Last year's legislative elections have already led to three by-elections this year. Each time the winning candidate was disqualified because he was convicted of a crime. Not only has this squandered human and material resources, it has led to political turmoil at the local level. For the KMT, that is bad enough. If this same farce is reenacted in Hualien, how can the KMT face the public? From this perspective, the KMT is right to run Yeh Chin-chuan in Hualien County. It must prevent Fu Kuen-chi from leaving the party and running as an independent. This proves that the KMT is sincere about reforming the partly,

The Taitung County Executive By-Election was dogged by controversy. The Yunlin County Legislative By-Election also turned into a giant muddle. If the KMT Central Committee allows itself to be hijacked by Fu Kuen-chi, what happens to its commitment to reform? What will the media say?

Can Yeh Chin-chuan prove that he is a reform candidate? Was this the right time for him to enter the race, and was the nomination process fair? These are separate issues. Yeh resigned his post during the Infuenza A epidemic, and threw his hat in the ring. The public may have trouble understanding his decision. But let's not forget he marched straight into Heping Hospital during the SARS crisis to combat the epidemic. No one can dismiss him as a deserter in the face of fire. Especially when Yeh Chin-chuan is lagging far behind in the polls, yet refuses to back out. This proves he is willing to lay himself on the line. Have Hualien voters rejected Yeh Chin-chuan as a candidate? Or are they merely unhappy about how he won the nomination? The answer may be reflected in opinion polls conducted just before the primaries.

Ma Ying-jeou cannot accept Fu Kuen-chi as candidate for Hualien County Executive. Tsai Ing-wen cannot accept Chen Tang-shan as candidate for Tainan County Executive Both cases involve matters of principle. There is no room for compromise. Unfortunately this kind of operation must be carried out while under fire, making it hard to be thorough. Is it more important to fight an epidemic or to fight corruption? That is a matter of opinion. But the Ma administration has sounded the trumpet of reform. If Fu Kuen-chi is elected Hualien County Executive, that will be a major blow to his reform campaign. The KMT candidate for Hualien County Executive may well lose to potential defector Fu Kuen-chi. Nevertheless the KMT must back someone like Yeh Chin-chuan in order to demonstrate the KMT's determination and sincerity to the public.

Yeh Chin-chuan is not a bad candidate. But he has been put forth as a candidate under awkward circumstances. The blame must fall on the KMT, for its clumsiness. First of all, the Kuomintang has ruled in Hualien for a long time. Yet it still resorts to its old practice of "air dropping" a candidate in. This shows that the KMT central leadership has not properly cultivated local talent. It is belatedly digging a well, now that it feels thirsty. Secondly, it is right to clarify the objectives of the government. But because it is unable to move quickly, decisively, and accurately, its opponent has struck preemptively. This makes it appear to be in the wrong. Its methods were not in accord with its objectives. Third, if we think back, Yeh Chin-chuan planned to run for Hualien County Executive long ago. But he was reluctant to make this public while he assessed his election prospects. He let the matter drag on, and resigned only when the influenza epidemic broke. He lost the initiative, and left himself vulnerable to attack.

The KMT is trying to do the right thing. Yet it cannot avoid tripping over its own feet. Such is the KMT. Is Yeh Chin-chuan the right candidate? That will be up to Hualien voters to decide. Hualien voters can choose not to vote for Yeh Chin-chuan. But not the KMT.

國民黨在花蓮縣長選舉無可迴避的抉擇
【聯合報╱社論】
2009.08.05 04:11 am

在新流感疫情升高之際，葉金川選擇辭官參選花蓮縣長，招致「落跑署長」之譏。對於國民黨而言，花蓮選情的第一考慮是絕對不能提名已被判刑的傅?萁；至於葉金川是不是一個適合的人選，則又與他的參選時機與程序爭議是兩個不同的議題。

從在地政治的角度看，花蓮人選縣長，是要一個有能力、有熱誠的人，不是非葉金川不可。然而，看藍軍的初選名單，呼聲最高卻是有案在身的傅?萁，所以不能讓傅?萁當選成了國民黨的第一目標。

傅?萁能在民調上遙遙領先，足見其長年經營地方有成，人脈厚實。他橫跨政商、跨國親兩黨、跨中央和地方的資歷，都形塑了相當的全國知名度。問題在他因違反證交法判刑四年，成了參選最大的致命傷。以他的實力，如果他未來選擇脫黨參選到底，倘若即以地方上露臉的幾名參選者與他對抗，傅仍有打敗藍綠兩營的對手當選縣長的可能。接著，如果他當選縣長，未來若被判有罪定讞，縣長勢必又要改選，恐怕又將上演「代Ｘ出征」的戲碼，花蓮人要忍受這樣的折騰嗎？

何況，改選並不只是重新投票的折騰而已。去年初的立委選舉，今年來已歷經三次補選，主要都是當選人涉案喪失資格；不僅徒然耗費人力物力，也使地方政治一再陷於鬥爭的風暴中。對國民黨而言，這已夠灰頭土臉，如果再讓同樣的戲碼在花蓮重演，如何對得起人民？從這個角度看，僅以防備傅?萁脫黨參選這個目標而論，葉金川出馬角逐花蓮縣長，代表了國民黨推動黨內改革的一點誠意和努力，其實可予肯定。

試想，以台東縣長改選的爭議多端，乃至雲林立委補選的混沌未明，如果國民黨中央今天仍被已被判刑的傅?萁挾持了選情，如何彰顯改革理想？輿論又將如何批評？

葉金川是不是一個能夠顯示改革理念的候選人，與他在此時參選的程序爭議，則是兩個不同的問題。葉在疫情擴大之際辭職參選，的確不容易取得社會的諒解；但記得他在ＳＡＲＳ期間隻身進入和平醫院抗煞的民眾，應該也不會輕易認定他是畏怯的「逃兵」。尤其，葉金川在民調遠遠落後的情況下，仍不退縮，可見他願意接受民意的考驗。花蓮選民究竟是根本否定葉金川這個人選，或只是對他參選的程序不以為然，應可反映在初選的民調中。

馬英九不能接受傅?萁選花蓮縣長，其實有如當時蔡英文不能接受陳唐山選台南縣長。其中涉及原則，沒有退讓餘地。問題是，這類的操作必然是捉襟見肘，不易面面周到。至於說，到底是抗疫重要，還是澄清政風重要，這確實是見仁見智；但就馬政府的政治號召言，如果讓傅?萁當選花蓮縣長，必將成為改革的重大創傷。所以，即使花蓮縣長一役國民黨仍會輸給可能脫黨競選的傅?萁，也應當用葉金川這樣的牌教國人感受到國民黨的決心與誠意。

葉金川原本是張不差的牌，卻出現這麼狼狽的情狀，應怪國民黨的操作手法太過拙劣。首先，國民黨在花蓮執政了這麼久，到頭來卻還在用「空降」的老招，顯示中央未曾好好在地方培養人才，才會臨渴掘井。其次，澄清政風的目標是正確的，但因操作上不能把握快、狠、準的原則，遭到對方反咬，反顯得自己理虧，這是手段與目標不對稱。第三，如今回顧，葉金川參選花蓮縣長早在規劃之中，但為評估選情遲遲不願公開，一直拖到疫情緊張再辭官，不免喪失機先，落人口實。

一件目標正確的事，卻無法用流利的手法來達成，這是國民黨的笨拙。至於「葉金川」是不是一個好選項，就留待花蓮選民決定吧。花蓮選民可以不選葉金川，但國民黨卻難有其他的選擇！