The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that it does not plan to hold polls targeting only pan-blue supporters as a measure to assure party loyalty in the candidate nomination process for the next election, and insisted that it respects freedom of expression after party members voiced their objection to KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei’s (羅淑蕾) open criticism of the party.
Lo, a former member of the People First Party, has been a regular critic of the KMT and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration. She often questions the KMT’s policies in political TV talk shows and has voted against the party line on a joint motion — initiated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union — to immediately stop construction of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮).
KMT Deputy Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who also serves as the deputy legislative speaker, on Tuesday accused Lo of undermining the party’s reputation with her criticism of party policies. She said yesterday that many grassroots supporters shared her concern about Lo’s outspokenness, and called on the KMT to step up its efforts to increase the party’s forward momentum.
KMT Central Standing Committee member Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) joined Hung in questioning Lo’s loyalty to the party, accusing her of being an opportunist who tries to please voters in both the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
He suggested that the KMT make adjustments to its election nomination mechanism and hold polls among only KMT supporters to nominate members with a solid support base in the pan-blue camp.
“It’s okay to question the mistakes the government makes, but non-stop criticism of your own party is an act of opportunism to please voters … Holding polls during the nomination process would eliminate party politicians who are popular outside the pan-blue camp and stop opportunists,” he said.
Lo won the party primary in 2011 over former KMT legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and stood for the party in the legislative election in Taipei City’s Zhongshan District (中山). Chiang had complained about the primary mechanism that allowed Lo to win the polls in the district, which has a large pan-green support base, and questioned Lo’s loyalty to the KMT.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) yesterday called for party unity in response to disputes over Lo’s behavior, and said the party does not have plans to change its mechanism for the primaries.
“We respect party members’ freedom of expression, although we expect them to discuss the party’s performance based on facts … The KMT has not yet launched the primary mechanism for the next election, so there are no plans to hold polls that exclude pan-green supporters,” he said.
Lo yesterday dismissed criticism of her behavior and said the party has largely ignored her support of government policies, such as imposing a capital gains tax.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
RSS