President Ma Ying-jeou assumed the chairmanship of his ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Saturday, inaugurating a new era of synchonized party-government leadership. Ma invited two of his predecessors, Lien Chan and Wu Poh-hsiung, to be the party's honorary chairmen, immediately after taking over the position from Wu in a ceremony held as part of the KMT's 18th National Congress in the Taipei suburb of Sinjhuang. Ma said in his address that the assistance of Lien and Wu will be essential for the party to overcome numerous challenges ahead. Ma noted that under Wu's leadership that ran two years and eight months, the KMT sailed through its most difficult period and won the legislative and presidential elections, and he said he expects Wu to continue to help the party promote cooperation and exchanges with China. Also, Ma said he hopes Lien, who has made a 'journey of peace' to China and represented Taiwan in the leaders summit of the 2008 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, will continue his contribution in these areas. Ma stressed that the past era in which 'the ruling party overrode the government' has long past and that what prevails today is an era of 'the party supporting the government.' Ma promised he will seek to strengthen the KMT Central Standing Committee's function as a platform for party-government coordination. On the year-end local elections, Ma said whether the party can stand in solidarity will decide whether it will achieve victory. Therefore, he said, the party must take disciplinary action against members running in the elections without the party's nomination to maintain its unity. He also pledged to promote clean politics by strictly forbidding party members from engaging in vote buying. He said the party will put forth a final plan by the end of this year on how to deal with its controversial assets. He promised the KMT will stop any business operations after selling the Central Investment Holding Co., and will rely on fund-raising activities to obtain the money needed for election campaigns. On relations with China, Ma said the KMT will prioritize Taiwan's interests and the well-being of its people in promoting cross-Taiwan Strait exchanges. A five-point consensus reached by Lien and Communist Party of China (CPC) General Secretary Hu Jintao during Lien's visit to China in 2005 will be included in the KMT's platform, and the dialogue between the KMT and the CCP will also continue, Ma said. 