The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chairpersonship election has become even more competitive after former KMT legislator Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) yesterday became the sixth to join the race.
Pan, a six-term KMT legislator and a three-term Taipei city councilor, announced her candidacy at a news conference in Taipei, which was attended by her supporters and several KMT politicians, including former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), former acting KMT chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠) and KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏).
Former minister of transportation and communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時), who denied rumors he would enter the race, was also at the news conference.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“People asked me why I chose to step forward... I stepped forward because I believe only actual participation can allow changes to be made,” Pan said, adding that she did not think the competitiveness of the race would be detrimental to party solidarity.
Pan said that at a time when President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has destabilized society and caused cross-strait ties to deteriorate with its problematic policies, the KMT must help maintain checks and balances.
If elected, Pan said she plans to launch a reform movement within the KMT, as the party is losing supporters and facing its most dire predicament since its establishment.
She said she would also ensure that the KMT nominates candidates in all electoral districts in next year’s local polls, even in traditionally challenging ones.
Shrugging off speculation that her candidacy is aimed at jeopardizing KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) chances of winning, Pan said she had spoken to all senior party members — including Hung — before announcing her candidacy.
“My candidacy has been dogged by conspiracy theories ... but my main goal is simply to bring home all KMT members who have lost contact with the party. It [joining the election] was a decision made after thorough consideration,” Pan said.
The other five contenders in the May 20 election are Hung, KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), former KMT vice chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢) and former Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co general manager Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
Official candidacy registration is to begin on April 17 and each prospective candidate is required to collect the signatures of at least 3 percent of KMT members.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS