Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said she would not be dissuaded from participating in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) primary for its presidential candidate, with the chances of KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) signing up for the primary said to be dimming.
Despite Hung and former minister of health Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) signing up for the primary and vowing to abide by the rules promulgated by the party, media reports have suggested that the KMT remains more concerned about those who have not signed up for the primary, including Chu, Wang and Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
Hung gave two radio interviews, highlighting that she is sure that the word “conscription” does not appear in the primary rules stipulated by the party.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
If Hung remains the only participant to sign up for the primary and obtains the required 15,000 signatures, she would still have to — according to the primary rules — pass a threshold of 30 percent support to win the party’s nomination, which has been dubbed “the KMT’s mechanism to stall the brick and wait for the jade (防磚待玉),” with Hung being the “brick” and Chu the “jade.”
The rules state that if a candidate fails to pass the poll threshold, the party’s central committee can advise the party against nominating that single runner.
With Yaung standing a good chance of acquiring 15,000 signatures, he said: “Even if neither of us pass the 30 percent support threshold, there is still a second round of polls — after intraparty negotiations between the candidates — and the person who garners a higher support percentage in the second poll would emerge as the winner. There is no reference to ‘conscription’ in the rules.”
Radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) said that even if there is no question of drafting, “there still exists the possibility of registered contenders being talked out of the race [so the party can enlist whoever it favors].”
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has two main tenets: Taiwanese independence and opposition to nuclear power. What are our party lines? On the platform provided by the primary, aspirants can engage in policy debate, and clarify and make public the party’s central beliefs,” she said.
Hung called on those who wish to run for president to go through the primary process, while describing the alleged party’s plan to resort to “drafting” as “forcing a bride into a [wedding] palanquin.”
As Saturday is the last day for KMT hopefuls to sign up for the primary, it was said that yesterday was the most appropriate day for Wang to begin his application process, as he would still need to collect signatures from at least 15,000 party members.
As of press time yesterday, there had been no sign of Wang visiting KMT headquarters to pick up an application form.
“It is said that KMT lawmakers whose constituencies are in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung are against Wang’s nomination, as the KMT hardliners in the north dislike Wang and the lawmakers’ own prospects of being re-elected would be negatively affected,” Chou said, asking Hung whether she could confirm the rumor.
“I could not say that it is 100 percent true, but I do feel it,” Hung said, adding that, for instance, the picture of Wang and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) showing up together at a recent event riled some “deep blue” electorates.
Next Magazine yesterday reported that Wang has deferred his plan to join the race due to objections from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is said to have misgivings about Wang because of the much-hyped political feud between the two that ended with Wang retaining his party membership.
A source from the KMT was quoted by the magazine as saying that KMT voters would not support Wang because of his alleged undue influence for [DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘)]” and that his high poll numbers have been exaggerated by DPP supporters who would not vote for him.
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