King Pu-tsung assumes office as KMT secretary-general

King Pu-tsung, sworn in for the post at a ceremony in the afternoon, said he will do his best to make the KMT a “better party.”

King, considered to be President Ma Ying-jeou's most trusted ally, had freshly returned to Taiwan a few hours earlier from the United States, where he had been a visiting scholar at a think tank.

He said he knows the work is challenging, but he will try to persuade more people to support the KMT.

“I'll try to get more young people close to and identify with the KMT,” he told Ma and other decision-makers of the party gathered to witness his inauguration.

Ma, who also heads the KMT as chairman, said King must understand the grave situation the KMT is facing, and the party cannot afford any delay in taking reform actions. The president said the party is a team and its election chances cannot depend solely on any individual's charisma or expertise.

Ma appointed King to the post a few days after the KMT suffered a setback in the Dec. 5 local elections.

Ma is depending on him to carry out party reform. King's other major task is obviously to be in charge of next year's elections in Taipei and four other special municipalities, all of which account for more than half of Taiwan's population.

It has been speculated that King himself could be nominated for the mayoral race in Tainan next year.

Upon arrival at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport early yesterday morning, King declined to comment on the chances of his running in Tainan.

He also declined to talk about his plans for the new job, saying he still needed time to figure out many things.

King took over the secretary general post from Chan Chun-po, who continues to be a vice chairman of the party. Political observers said Ma will rely on King's organizational powers and Chan's connections with local factions.

But it remains to be seen whether the team can work magic. Ma's popularity has waned, judging from the Dec. 5 election setback and frequent criticisms for his administration.

King, who served as Taipei's deputy mayor under Ma earlier this decade, has yet to convince many KMT members of his capabilities of running the party's election campaigns.

Ma admitted that the outcome of the Dec. 5 elections was “not ideal,” saying he would bear the responsibility and apologized to supporters.

He said the elections sounded a grave warning, and the party must go on with ongoing reforms in order to win the upcoming elections.

Local parliaments that re-elected their members on Dec. 5 will soon see their members conduct internal votes to select their speakers and vice speakers.

Early next year, by-elections will be held to fill seats in the national legislature. Some lawmakers resigned to vie for the local administrator posts in the Dec. 5 polls.

Towards the end of next year, the five special municipalities will elect their mayors, and the toughest challenge will be the 2012 presidential race, where Ma is expected to run for re-election.

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