Following the orders of incumbent chairman Lien Chan (連戰), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairmen Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday reported on their plans for the party and thoughts on the KMT's values as part of their campaigns for the party chairmanship.
While Lien was positive about the candidates' reports, the KMT's Central Standing Committee seemed less than thrilled, with many attacking Ma and calling on Lien to consider running.
Last Wednesday, Lien called for both chairmanship hopefuls to report to the Central Standing Committee about their views on the party's future and direction. Wang and Ma spoke for 40 minutes each about their views on the KMT's core values, their plans for the year-end mayoral and county commissioner elections, the party's beleaguered financial situation and on the cross-strait situation.
In his report, Ma gave a general speech about the importance of the KMT in Taiwan. Wang's report was more concrete, with Wang specifically detailing his strategy for helping the KMT win the year-end elections and emphasizing that under his command, the KMT's focus would be to counter the pan-green camp through the legislature.
In comparison, Ma paid more attention to the party's financial situation, party workers' concerns and party reforms in his report, emphasizing that the KMT is more than just an election machine.
Wang and Ma's reports reflected their campaign promises to uphold the KMT's values, guarantee party employee's rights, solve the party's financial situation and facilitate democratization of the party.
In a point of difference between the two however, Wang said that "in the interest of pursuing justice, at critical moments, [the KMT] must take to the streets when it should ... since extreme situations call for extreme measures."
In contrast, Ma said that "taking to the streets is nothing remarkable; most important is to achieve your actual goal and appeal to the people."
The comment highlighted a point of contention among blue camp supporters about Ma's suitability for the KMT's top post. Several pan-blue figures, including Wang and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Given that Lien's recent trips to China have increased his popularity and boosted calls for his continued stay in the KMT's top post, the two vice chairmen's views on the cross-strait situation were a focus of yesterday's meeting.
Despite the heightened attention however, the vice chairmen's views on the issue were similar, with Ma and Wang expressing their support for the results of Lien's trip. In their reports yesterday, both Wang and Ma reiterated their support for the so-called "1992 Consensus," the status quo and the Republic of China as an institution.
Going a step further, Wang called for the establishment of two different platforms for party-member dialogue and domestic party-to-party dialogue, in addition to the platform being created between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party as a result of Lien's trip to China.
The reports were made in response to Lien's request last week that the vice chairmen to describe in detail their visions for the party. Speaking last Wednesday, Lien said that he had "no wish" to enter the chairmanship election, but that given the lack of issues in the two chairmen's campaigns for the July 16 election, it was necessary that Wang and Ma sit down and discuss their plans.
While Lien originally said that if the reports were unsatisfactory, there would be more negotiations, Lien yesterday seemed pleased with the results of his request.
"The KMT is trying a new thing, under the atmosphere of unity and cooperation. Both candidates have fully expressed their ambitions and ideals, and have also shown [us] their sincerity along with the creativity of their reports," Lien said.
"The chairmanship election has already officially begun. I expect that both candidates will participate in `a competition of gentlemen,'" he added.
Less satisfied at the meeting however, were the KMT's Central Standing Committee members, with a number of members continuing to express their hope that Lien would enter the race.
Others at the KMT also expressed their hopes for Lien's continued stay in the party's top post, with songs and tearful cries.
During yesterday's meeting, a small throng of Lien supporters congregated in the lobby of the KMT headquarters, singing songs and calling on Lien to not "abandon us" before being dispersed by the KMT's building guards.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS