字體：小 中 大 |
|
|
|
| 2006/03/20 11:28:03瀏覽699｜回應0｜推薦2 | |
| Selling its HQ building will free the KMT's spirit By Apollo Chen 陳學聖 Saturday, Aug 27, 2005,Page 8 Whether to move the KMT headquarters from its current location is one of the first thorny questions related to the disposal of party assets facing Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) now that he has taken up the position of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman. Looked at from a historical perspective, it would not be going too far to say that for many party members, the party-headquarters building is a "spiritual bastion." It is perfectly natural that they should feel such an attachment. But I hope that our party members will be able to replace this material "bastion" with a more conceptual one, allowing the party to meet the expectations of the people on this issue. For a long time, the KMT has felt that it has been wronged, for although it has adopted the highest standards in dealing with the party-assets question, this remains a stick with which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is able to beat it with at every election. Why, having adopted such high standards, does this issue remain such a burden to the party? The key is that while the KMT has had little to be ashamed of as to the legal and rational terms in which it has proceeded in dealing with the party-assets issue, it may have forgotten about the matter of "sentiment," and it is sentiment that directs the way people vote in elections. And it is for reasons of "sentiment" that people look askance at the palatial KMT headquarters in one of Taipei City's best locations, despite the party having now been out of power for five years. What kind of feelings does this awaken in the electorate? Political parties exist for the benefit of the people, and this raison d'etre must become a mission for the party leadership. Only in this way will a political party meet the demands of the people. The politically active members of the KMT should all understand that for a party that wants to register sustainable growth, a conceptual symbol is much superior to a concrete one. By selling off the current headquarters and moving to another location, the party would send a clear signal that it is meeting the demands of the people. It would also be an expression of the party's determination that even when both law and reason are on its side, if voters have any issues, the party will actively respond to resolve those difficulties. Moreover, the huge party-headquarters building is expensive to maintain. The KMT is not a for-profit organization and normally such an organization's workings would need to be supported through donations. As donations are made irregularly and the sums involved are not large, it is important that political parties use these funds frugally. They should cherish this money and only spend it where it can do the most good. This is the only way in which they can act responsibly to their supporters. Moreover, now that the KMT is not in power, its finances have often proved inadequate to cover its expenses, and the selling off of property and a reduction in staff has become necessary. The matter of selling the party-headquarters building therefore needs to be given serious consideration. If we are using both our hands to cling onto party assets, then we won't have any hands free to hold onto the trust of our supporters. Selling off the party-headquarters building will not undermine the KMT, but will be a step toward reforming the party and freeing its spirit, winning greater public support. Once the money has been spent and the party has disposed of its assets, it will be able to create a bigger space that can be a new repository of popular support. Apollo Chen is a member of the KMT's Central Standing Committee and a former legislator. Translated by Ian Bartholomew |
|
| ( 時事評論｜政治 ) |
