Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) The following is a brief roundup of selected local newspaper editorials Monday: Apple Daily: China policy, DPP's feet of clay The opposition Democratic Progressive Party held its national congress Sunday afternoon, vowing to restore the party's clean image.
We are glad the party is emerging from the shadow of ex-president Chen Shui-bian who is standing trial for corruption, but the DPP lacks initiative in its China policy. Its only approach is to criticize that of the ruling Kuomintang.
Also, it lacks a vision for the island in terms of politics, the economy, military, finance and science.
The party seems not to realize that the election culture in the country is changing after two consecutive transitions of power, and the DPP has not come up with any policies that take into consideration the new political situation.
United Daily News: Prosecutor general's term should be guaranteed A newly-elected member of the Kuomintang's Central Standing Committee vowed to get rid of Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming by pushing for a law amendment that would allow for the dismissal of unimpartial prosecutors general.
We share the member's view that Chen has failed to live up to public expectations, but we take issue with the idea of removing unimpartial prosecutors general by any means.
The fixed term for the prosecutor general is meant to shield him from any interference and to enable him to investigate any crimes committed by senior officials, without fear or favor.
This approach has to take precedence over any public dislike of a particular person who happens to be the country's chief prosecutor, and he could hardly be expected to carry out his duties impartially if he not protected by law.
Liberty Times: Ma's chairmanship of KMT signals misery for Taiwan people President Ma Ying-jeou took over the helm of the ruling Kuomintang(KMT) on Saturday, a move that we can forecast signals misery for the Taiwan people.
If past events are any indication, the more power Ma has, the greater the disaster he produces.
After two terms as mayor, he left his successor a mess at Taipei City Hall.
When he previously served as KMT chairman between 2005 and 2007, he failed to deliver on his promise to dispose of the party's controversial assets.
He wants to double as chairman of the KMT, which he claims has not fully supported his administration's policies.
He also intends to set the stage for political negotiations with China through the party, and push the island onto the path of eventual unification with China.
We can therefore predict that Ma's assumption of control of the KMT apparatus spells misery for the Taiwan people.
China Times: Ma still has a long way to go to reform KMT Ma Ying-jeou reassumed leadership of the Kuomintang Sunday after four years.
He promised to push for party reform, clean governance and diligent performance of political duties.
The promises are similar to those he made but failed to fulfill during his first term as party chairman.
Four years ago, he was not held to his promises, as he quit the position one year before his term expired due to his indictment for alleged misuse of public funds.
The major dereliction was his failure to dispose of KMT assets before 2008, as promised.
Now that Ma had taken over the party's helm again he will have to follow through on his promises soon because the electorate's patience is running out.
(By Maubo Chang)