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The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) announced on 16 August its list of candidates for the elections that are to take place on 2 December. 222 candidates were named for 293 seats, over 90% of those named had been winners in the primary elections, and according to KMT officials only a few non-conformists and some supporting family monopolies or factionalism had been excluded. Leaving themselves a little leeway for the seriously disgruntled, the KMT announced that KMT members could stand for the 71 seats without candidates after gaining the Party's permission. According to an opinion poll, one in
Important factor in the election will be the extent to which the KMT can persuade elderly office holders to retire. They have not been particularly successful so far and have come up with another plan to get 60 people to retire by the end of the year. In the meantime a group of younger reform minded members of the Party have decided to set up a "new KMT" faction dedicated to reform.
They duly
8 The World Formosa Association held its 16th annual meeting in Kaohsiung from 10 to 14 August. Most of its leaders are normally resident in exile because of their outspoken views on the independence of Taiwan. By one means
By one means or another, they all managed to get into Taiwan (one who got in legally felt that this was not glamorous enough and claimed he had done so illegally). attended the meeting watched, but not generally harassed, by government agents, and made their expected inflamatory statements, which the Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (the largest opposition group) described as "questionable and irresponsible". There followed the usual semi-farcical muddle as the authorities tried to get them out of the country and they determined to stay until they had "fulfilled their mission". The leader, Lee Hsien-jung, eventually left quietly on 25 August.
9
Privatisation was much in the news. The Executive Yuan's ad hoc committee on privatising government enterprises met for the first time on 4 August and announced a list of 9 enterprises to be privatised. By the end of the month this had risen to 14, including three banks, the China Steel Corporation and the China Shipbuilding Corporation.
10 The Minister of Justice Hsian Hsien-tzang found himself embroiled in a scandal relating to his alleged lobbying on behalf of the constructors of some golf courses. He stoutly denied any involvement, but by 24 August the pressure had mounted so much that he decided to take 7 days leave.
Far Eastern Section Research Department
11 September 1989
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