An initiative launched by the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) younger members advocating party reform yesterday announced that it would hold a forum to invite KMT chairmanship candidates to answer questions regarding their plans for the party.
“We are going to hold a forum called ‘Chairman, may I ask a question?’ in the hopes of understanding the candidates’ plans to reform the party and subject them to public scrutiny,” the Grassroots Alliance said in a press statement.
The alliance said a number of KMT members have announced that they would run for party chairmanship, including Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), former KMT vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and Taipei City councilors Lee Hsin (李新) and Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平).
Photo: CNA
However, their election manifestos are merely slogans and lack substantial plans for reform, the alliance said.
“That is why we will extend an open invitation to the party chariperson hopefuls and ask them to explain what kinds of reforms they plan to implement,” the statement said.
The alliance was established by a group of younger KMT members on Tuesday following the party’s defeat in the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday last week, with the goals of acknowledging young KMT members’ subjectivity, transforming the KMT into a Taiwan-centric party and bringing the party in line with grassroots voters.
Among the alliance’s members are former KMT Youth League Secretary-General Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓), former KMT International Information and Events Center director Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) and KMT Youth League head Hsiao Ching-yan (蕭敬嚴).
As of yesterday, about 2,000 people had signed an online petition endorsing the alliance’s reform plans, which include lowering the hefty registration fee for entering the KMT’s chairperson elections, dealing with the party’s contentious assets and promoting youth participation in politics.
The alliance said while the next KMT chairperson election, which is to be held on March 26, is the party’s internal matter, the party’s next chairperson would inevitably need to persuade the public to embrace the KMT again.
“For this reason, all interested individuals will be allowed to attend the forum instead of just KMT members. The event will be broadcast live over the Internet,” the alliance said, urging the public to become a part of the KMT’s reform movement.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS