Taiwan Premier Chang Chung-hsiung, left, and Kaohsiung Mayor and Democratic Progressive Party Chairman (DPP) Frank Hsieh raise party members' hands at party headquarters after winning seats to become the largest party in the legislature, in today's elections, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001, in Taipei. Taiwan's former ruling Nationalist Party lost the majority of seats today which it had held for decades. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

"DPP SLAMDUNKS KMT" bannered the Taiwan News. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which controls the presidency, finally surpassed the Kuomintang in Saturday's (Dec 1) parliamentary election¡Kafter 52 years! It was a significant victory for democracy in Taiwan's half-century evolution from a rump government routed from the mainland by Mao Tse dung.

A Taiwan man passes a campaign soundtruck on his bicycle in Taipei on November 29,2001. The poster features U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell shaking hands with Nationalist parliamentary candidate John Chang, a grandson of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. John Chang was elected in the December 1 election.

This island people of 23 million free to vote its conscience for a little over a decade-and-a half first chose a Taiwan-born president from the long-ruling KMT only 11 years ago, then chose a president from the opposition (DPP) party last year, and this year, on December 1, gave the DPP a plurality in the parliament, the Legislative Yuan to bring about necessary new policies for a new century. Of some 16 million voters, a persuasive 66 percent gave the DPP party of President Chen Shui bian almost 37% of the vote and 87 of the 225 seats, up from 67. The historic KMT party of Generalissimo Chiang Kai shek, and its current leader Lien Chan, received a bit over 31% of the vote and 68 seats, down from 123, a whopping decline.

The People First Party (PFP) of James Soong captured almost 19% of the vote and 46 seats, and he remains the eminent challenger for President Chen in the 2004 presidential election. The New Party (NP), the tiny offshoot of the KMT, which had 11 seats, fell below the 5% minimum vote and received but one directly-elected legislator.

Perhaps the big news, however, is that former president Lee Tung hui's Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) received almost 8% of the vote and 13 seats. Despite leading the KMT to victory twice in the presidential elections, Lee, was drubbed out of the party by Lien Chan, a serious mistake by Lien. Now Lee is joining forces with President Chen to form a core of 100 legislative seats, only 13 seats away from a majority, which President Chen needs to effect his long-stuck legislative agenda. Indeed the KMT under Lien Chan has stymied the president at every turn, since his election. Taiwan has been the big loser. Now President Chen will be able to put together the coalition he needs to move his economic program forward, including unemployment (at 5.5%) and competitiveness issues and to stabilize the political situation, especially cross-strait relations with mainland China.

Taiwan's democracy has now matured successfully. It has experienced alternation in the major political parties; authority has been turned over to native-born Taiwanese, and the executive and legislature will be controlled by the same, new party. Control of the executive and legislative branches of government will enable the Taiwanese government to carry out its policy initiatives effectively like any responsible, democratic parliamentary systems familiar to us, such as France, Britain or Germany. These are auspicious steps of progress in a potentially dangerous time. Taiwan's economy is in the harshest downturn ever, and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is demanding resolution of the "Taiwan issue," by which it seems to mean it wants to make Taiwan into another Hong Kong or Tibet: "one country; 2 systems," the PRC calls it. To emphasize its seriousness, the PRC continues to add some 50 short-and-medium range missiles each year to its battery of over 300 now aimed at Taiwan.

In a series of articles, I will seek to bring St. Louisans a glimpse into the parliamentary elections and a view of life in Taiwan today, seen through the eyes of another St. Louisan. These articles grew out of an invitation by the Taiwanese (Republic of China/ROC) government to about 25 international observers, analysts and scholars from the United States, Australia, Japan, and Europe, to observe this critical election. As guests of the ROC government, the analysts were invited to Taiwan almost a week prior to the elections on December 1. They were given access to virtually all top government officials, including President Chen Shui-bian, the foreign minister, Dr. Tien Hung-mao, the minister of defense, Wu Shi-wen, Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, Dr. Chen Po-chih, and Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Tsai Ing wen. In addition, the analysts and scholars met with the leaders of the major political parties, including Lien Chan of the KMT and Wilson Tien (International Affairs) of the DPP. 

For a taste of the "atmospherics" we visited election rallies of the DPP and the KMT, and finally, we spent election day visiting polling stations, talking to voters and residents. Concluding election eve we were whisked to Election Central headquarters to watch the returns and seek to measure the pulse of the election hour by hour¡Kit was a long night.

The analysts and scholars included headline names like William Kristol known to news watchers in the United States. Other scholars and analysts less known to the general public but leading lights among professional analysts came from prominent U.S. institutions like Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, University of California, Berkeley, the Heritage Foundation, and Georgetown University. Representatives from major universities and think tanks in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe and elsewhere were also invited, including Principia College, up the Mississippi River at Elsah, my home institution. I am a security specialist who focuses on the European Union (EU) and its Common Foreign and Security (CFSP). And since the EU is very eager to reach out to the Pacific rim (its Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten was the last Governor of Hong Kong), it is seeking to use its good offices in the conflict between north and south Korea, and elsewhere in Asia.

This is my second trip to Taiwan this year. On my first trip in May I lectured at Taiwan's National Defense University, and also at National Taiwan University and National Sun Yat Sen University in Kaohsiung in the south. The 2 trips gave me an opportunity spaced about 6 months apart to deepen my understanding of Taiwan and to make some observations, which I hope will be interesting to readers in the St. Louis area about a very serious problem in American foreign policy and about a wonderful ally and friend in East Asia, which deserves better understanding. In the ensuing articles I will detail some of the big issues, like the PRC and its missiles, make some observations about the U.S.'s very unusual circumlocutions, for example, when is an embassy not an embassy, and share some of the humorous, and perhaps practical, details of the trip, including how to navigate a political rally. I speak with some authority on that skill. I hope you can come along for the ride to Taiwan. Xie Xie.