Lord Acton's maxim, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, has just been proven true again in Taiwan. Five years ago, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won power on a campaign promise to stamp out corruption by the Kuomintang, which had ruled since the 1940s.
In the short space of five years, the DPP has changed from a party known for being clean to a party that faces many allegations of corruption. So much so, in fact, that in local elections last weekend, the party was swamped by the KMT, now under the chairmanship of Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou.
These results are likely to put pressure on President Chen Shui-bian to soften his anti-mainland stance and help lessen cross-strait tensions. They have been high ever since the pro-independence Mr Chen won the presidency in 2000.
During the weeks leading up to Saturday's elections, Mr Chen, as is his wont, made pro-independence speeches while campaigning for DPP candidates. The fact that his party won only six of 23 mayoral and county magistrate posts - while the KMT and its allies won the rest - suggests that the China card the president likes to play is losing its appeal for Taiwanese voters.
Analysts believe the DPP did poorly because the party's image has been badly tarnished. Scandals include allegations of corruption in a subway project in Kaohsiung involving the president's former deputy chief of staff, Chen Che-nan, and 17 others. They were indicted recently on charges of influence peddling, corruption, fraud and breach of trust. The outcome is seen by many as a vote of no confidence in Mr Chen. In the latest survey by the United Daily News, his approval rating was at its lowest point yet - 21 per cent - having plummeted from 79 per cent in June 2000, when he first took office.
Before the elections, the president had said that he would have to tighten his policies on the mainland if his party lost. However, now Mr Chen will surely face pressure to relax restrictions on interchanges across the Taiwan Strait. The president has alienated the business community, both local and foreign, with anti-mainland policies that have hurt Taiwan's economic prospects.
