Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) overseas representatives have launched a petition calling for KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to be expelled for “undermining the party’s reputation.”
The petition, which was initiated by seven overseas representatives on Aug. 1, is expected to be voted on at the party’s national congress on Sept. 4.
“The KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee reached a consensus to revoke Wang’s membership in 2013. However, due to political intervention in the judicial system, the due process for Wang’s expulsion was not completed,” the petition reads, adding that it is the representatives’ obligation to vote to expel Wang to maintain the party’s “normal function.”
The petition lists several reasons why the former legislative speaker deserves to be expelled, including his alleged meddling in a breach of trust lawsuit on behalf of Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in 2013, which it says tarnished the KMT’s reputation.
The representatives also criticized Wang for turning a blind eye to protesters who occupied the Legislative Yuan for almost 23 days in March and April 2014, which they said undermined the rule of law and the KMT’s image.
Wang’s decision as legislative speaker to form a cross-caucus negotiation mechanism with Ker while was also attacked.
The representatives said that action nullified the KMT’s advantage as the majority party in the legislature and impeded its efforts to pass many major bills.
Wang, whose 17-year run as legislative speaker ended in January, took the KMT to court in September 2013 after the KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee revoked his membership at the request of then-president and KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The Taipei District Court and the Taiwan High Court in 2014 ruled in favor of Wang, ruling that he should retain his membership and rights as a member.
In October 2014, Ma ordered the party to appeal the High Court’s ruling.
In February last year, Ma’s successor as chairman, Eric Chu (朱立倫), decided not to pursue the KMT’s suit against Wang.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director Chow Chi-wai (周志偉) yesterday said that procedural and substantive justice should be ensured in any proposal to expel party members or revoke their membership.
Even if the party congress votes in favor of the petition, the motion still has to go through a local branch’s disciplinary committee and then the Evaluation and Discipline Committee before being sent to the Central Standing Committee for approval.
“It is not up for the party congress to decide the fate of members that people like or do not like. That would just be tyranny of the majority,” Chow said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS