The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday confirmed it had rejected People First Party (PFP) Legislator Shen Chih-hwei's (
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Shen announced last week that she had decided to leave the PFP and join the KMT for the next legislative session, which starts in September.
Shen, who ran for Taichung mayor against incumbent Jason Hu (
There was apparently a lot of resentment between the KMT and PFP branches in Taichung both before and after last December's election and the KMT's Taichung headquarters rejected Shen's application.
"Shen did come to me to talk about her application, but I told her that we needed to respect the local headquarters' decision," Ma said yesterday after presiding over a municipal meeting at Taipei City Hall.
The KMT requires applicants to file their membership applications with their local branches.
"If local branch has issues with an application, it's the applicant's job to communicate with the branch and try to solve the problems," he said.
Shen said on Monday that she would continue to try to join the KMT as an independent legislator.
PFP caucus whip Lu Hsueh-chang (
"The KMT already rejected her application, but she still wants to join it ? What's done can't be undone. We give her our blessing and deepest regret as well," Lu said.
Shen's colleague, PFP Legislator Chen Chao-rung (
Starting from the next legislative election, a single-member district system will be implemented, which is regarded as unfavorable to smaller parties.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from