President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has reportedly decided to resign as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to take responsibility for the party’s crushing defeat in the nine-in-one elections on Saturday, but the news had not been confirmed by KMT spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) as of press time.
The news that Ma would make a “big announcement” at a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday to resign as chairman emerged on various media outlets almost simultaneously yesterday morning.
Chen said he was not able to confirm the reports, but added that Ma had explicitly told the party that he would never cling to the chairmanship and would take responsibility for the election results.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The KMT won in six of the nation’s 22 cities and counties, losing control of historical strongholds it held in Taipei, Greater Taichung and Taoyuan to the Democratic Progressive Party. It previously controlled 15 seats.
On Saturday, Ma approved the resignations of Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and KMT Secretary-General Tseng Tung-chuan (曾永權).
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday morning that he offered to resign as KMT vice chairman on Saturday night.
Hau said the election results are a warning from voters to the KMT, calling on the party to examine the message conveyed by the losses and strive to listen more attentively to what people have to say.
Hau said on Facebook that as an incumbent mayor who was responsible for campaigning for KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文), he takes responsibility for the loss in the capital.
If Ma resigns, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), one of the KMT’s eight vice chairs, reportedly would take up the position temporarily until an election is held in three months to select a new chairperson.
Wu said he believes Ma has been deliberating whether he should step down as chairman, adding that to remain in the role would be more difficult than to resign because it was like “burning the candle at both ends.”
Defeated Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said he would continue to serve the party as a vice chairman, although he had considered resigning when he learned of Hau’s decision.
In an interview with China Television, Hu said he would rather work with the party in this time of difficulty than resign.
The reason the KMT lost the election is because it did not understand the younger generation, Hu said.
“Young people take for granted what they are given and they think they are owed what they long for. If you give them an iPhone 5, they are still mad at you because you did not give them an iPhone 6,” he said.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS