The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee yesterday approved the nominations of former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and Minister Without Portfolio Lin Jung-tzer (林政則) as the party’s vice chairmen.
The nominations were made by KMT Chairperson Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) before being referred to the committee for approval at an afternoon meeting.
Hung also nominated National Cheng Kung University associate political science professor Huang Ching-hsien (黃清賢) as her special consultant and KMT Mainland Affairs Department director, while appointing former Taipei 2017 Universiade Office director Chiu Da-chan (邱大展) as head of the party’s Administration and Management Committee.
Following approval of his nomination, Hau, who had previously considered running against Hung in a by-election for the KMT’s chairmanship in March, pledged on Facebook to push for the betterment of the KMT and Taiwan.
“Assuming a party leadership position means duty and obligation, what really matters is not my job title, but rather whether the KMT needs my assistance and what I can do for the party and the nation,” Hau said.
It is not the first time Hau has served as deputy head of the party. He was first nominated by then-KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in April 2014 and appointed to the post again by Ma’s successor, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), in January last year.
Hau followed in the steps of Chu and resigned after the KMT’s disastrous failure in the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections.
Hu, who currently serves as Want Want China Times Group vice chairman, was also appointed as KMT vice chairman by Ma in April 2014.
However, he resigned from the post in January last year after Ma stepped down as party leader in the wake of the nine-in-one local elections in November 2014, in which the KMT also suffered a landslide loss.
Lin served two terms as Hsinchu mayor and as a legislator.
Under the KMT charter, the party’s chair can nominate a number of vice chairs and their nominations have to be approved in a party national congress.
However, the nominations for vice chairmen by a KMT chair who is elected in a by-election only require the approval of the party’s Central Standing Committee.
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 annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final
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