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SCMP Reporter

THE Kuomintang (KMT) will not voice public support for the democratic proposals of Hongkong Governor Mr Chris Patten because this would adversely affect the thaw in relations across the Taiwan Strait.

  KMT spokesman and the head of its cultural department, Mr James Chu, also admitted there was a considerable ideological gap between the older generation of KMT members in Hongkong and party headquarters in Taipei.

  While talking to Hongkong reporters yesterday, Mr Chu gave indirect support for Mr Patten's democratic reforms.

  ''We support plans that give Hongkong residents more democracy and freedom and that will lay down the foundation for more democracy after 1997,'' Mr Chu said.

  ''Democratisation is our goal for Taiwan, Hongkong and the mainland.''   But Mr Chu, considered a confidant of President and KMT chairman Mr Lee Teng-hui, said the party would not publicly voice support for Mr Patten's crusade.

  He indicated that this might adversely affect the ongoing relationship with the mainland.

  ''Improvement in relations across the Taiwan Strait is not only good for us and the mainland but for Hongkong,'' he said.

  On the party's policy towards Hongkong, Mr Chu said that both the KMT and the Taiwanese Government were committed to boosting their presence in the territory to ensure Hongkong's democracy and prosperity.

  But he admitted that there were considerable differences between Taipei and old-guard KMT members in Hongkong and overseas.

  ''Overseas, we do not have enough young people joining the party, while there is a difference in mentality between the older members and party headquarters,'' he said.

  ''However, we cannot alienate [the old guard] or cut off our support to them. They have been our faithful supporters.''   Mr Chu admitted that while the old guard supported his speeches on curbing Taiwanese independence, some of them expressed dismay when he talked about further democratisation. On the question of finding ''successors'' overseas, he said the party must findyoung members who met the requirements of the 21st century, not those with the mind-set of the 1960s and 1970s.

  ''There are many people with such qualifications but who may not necessarily want to play a role in the party because this entails sacrifices,'' Mr Chu said.

  He stressed, however, that the KMT was a reformist, not a ''revolutionary'' party, and would never subvert overseas administrations.

  ''The KMT is not a secret organisation and we would like to increase our transparency in Hongkong,'' he said, adding that the party would abide by local laws.

  Mr Chu said activities by the KMT in Hongkong would be separate from those of the Taiwan Government as party politics in Taiwan had ruled out the fusion of party and government.

  Taiwan sources said Taipei's ranking representative in Hongkong, Mr John Ni, had recently been attacked by the KMT old guard in the territory, who disagreed with what they considered to be Mr Lee's policy of de facto independence.



KMT's backing for Patten muted