Cross-party alliances are inevitable after the elections. Taiwan's political landscape is demarcated by political superstars and partisan forces. The public is worried that if no force can eliminate these divisions, a political alliance seeking stability may be thwarted.

Political difficulties will drag on if the ruling party fails to seek the cooperation of the opposition in forming an alliance or a coalition government. On the other hand, the opposition alliance will face difficulties if it tries to dictate to the Cabinet without the DPP's cooperation.

Given the complex relations between the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan and the Presidential Office, nothing constructive can be accomplished without reconciliation and mutual trust between the three.

The president must therefore show his sincerity in recharting the political map after yesterday's elections and in trying to create opportunities for cooperation between the ruling party and the opposition. He should ignore his re-election bid two years from now and not think only about the interests of the ruling party.

Although the opposition alliance might try to hinder the government if it wins a legislative majority, the president and the ruling party must break through the political impasse with humility and wisdom. Since the president and the ruling party are responsible for success or failure in national development, they must keep an open mind about bringing the parties together to form an efficient coalition government.

The opposition alliance will still have problems even if it gets to lead the Cabinet. The alliance won't necessarily be able to steer the country smoothly. It will probably be dogged by vigorous boycotts from the DPP and its allies in the legislature. Relations between the Presidential Office and the legislature will then face a new dilemma.

Since presidential decrees do not require the premier's approval, it will become increasingly unclear whether the president or the Cabinet has the power to govern.

On the surface, the ferocious political clashes and political instability appear to be a result of hostility between political parties. But in reality, they are the result of personal grudges between the four political leaders -- President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

It is very dangerous that all four continue to project a strongman image in a democratic society. The political scene will remain chaotic if they continue to manipulate politics based on their personal power. In other words, Taiwan will never attain political stability unless the four leaders can be truthful.

The most precious thing about democracy is that neither election defeats nor the transition of political power should generate bitter hatred. Between Lee, Lien and Soong there seems to exist a deep-rooted animosity. Furthermore, their personal grudges have deeply affected the future of democracy in Taiwan. They simply have gone too far.

After his defeat in the presidential election, Lien took up the post of the KMT chairman, launched party reforms and tried to sustain the party's development. Seemingly a generous and moderate person in public, Lien can earn respect from the public and the ruling party by reinventing the KMT as the most important stabilizing force in the political arena, breaking through the impasse with magnanimity and offering his experience in governance.

If he still tries to wrest ruling power from the DPP by hurling invectives and launching boycotts, he will not only undermine the national interest but also put himself and the KMT into a more serious predicament.

Soong is politically astute and has strong leadership skills. He still has a good chance of eventually taking over the Presidential Office. The number of legislative seats the PFP garners in the

elections is key to the new legislature. The legislature could become stable if the PFP joins either the KMT or the DPP. This is the most unpredictable variable in cross-party cooperation. As long as he is sincere about helping stabilize the political scene, Soong definitely has the wisdom and influence to do so.

Lee's influence is widespread and should not be confined to one party. If Lee can make use of his leverage and the Christian spirit of forgiveness to reconcile with Lien and Soong, or at least stop the fights, political stability will be more likely. But if he is merely planning a second phase of partisan realignment, the results will be hard to predict and a backlash may cause even more harm.

One can only hope that Taiwan's political leaders stop hogging the political terrain like warlords. Instead, they should promote a grand reconciliation with political wisdom, tolerance and sincerity to create a new environment for Taiwan's democracy.

Chiu Hei-yuan is a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology of the Academia Sinica.

Translated by Jackie Lin