As the KMT set ups a special reform committee after its unprecedented loss in the presidential elections, voices inside and outside the party appear anything but unified on how such reforms should proceed.
KMT provincial party chairman Chen Keng-chin (
With the downsizing of the provincial government, there is no need for the KMT's provincial-level organization, said Chen.
Instead, he said, the KMT should strengthen party organizations at the county and township level and bolster grassroots support for the party.
There have been a number of calls for reduction in the KMT's organizational structure, but they have gone unheeded, said Chen. If the elections for National Assembly delegates are cancelled, the KMT should be able to abolish the provincial party headquarters within months, he said.
If the assembly elections -- scheduled for May 20 -- are not cancelled, then the KMT will be hard pressed to liquidate the provincial party machinery in the face of pressures to field candidates for the elections, said Chen.
Speaking on a TV talk show yesterday, National Taiwan University political scientist Pao Tsung-ho (
Meaningful party reform must include democratic processes within the party and greater attention towards public opinion, said Pao.
The KMT should first take stock of its members, set a timetable for adopting democratic internal methods, and then hold elections for the party chairman and other party posts, stressed Pao.
Not so, countered KMT legislator Chen Shei-saint (
The KMT should first place its assets in a trust and then institute democratic methods within the party, said Chen.
But the KMT should stop short of a party purge.
"Those who should have left have already done so," said Chen.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS