The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to form a task force to review its defeats in Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections, and propose plans to reform the party, KMT deputy spokesman Huang Hsin-hua (黃心華) said yesterday.
Top party officials met for the first time since the elections, and the party’s “major setbacks” were discussed and an agreement reached to establish a task force to thoroughly review the party’s performance and propose reform plans, Huang said.
They also discussed the resignation of KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and executive-level members, he said, adding: “Once the Central Standing Committee approves of it, a chairperson by-election will be held immediately.”
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei
To ensure the operation of the party during the transitional period, all management-level members have been urged to continue carrying out their duties, he said.
Among those at the meeting were KMT Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), Organizational Development Committee director Tu Chien-teh (杜建德), Culture and Communications Committee director-general Cheng Mei-hua (程美華), Administration and Management Committee director Chiu Da-chan (邱大展), Disciplinary Committee director Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) and other executive-level members.
Wu on Saturday night said that he and all executive-level members involved in the elections would tender their resignation to the Central Standing Committee tomorrow to take responsibility for the defeats.
The committee is expected to approve Wu’s resignation, but no one has yet publicly committed to running to succeed him.
KMT Tainan chapter head Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) had previously said that he would run for chairmanship after the elections, but he appears to be rethinking the move.
Party members have floated the names of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), and KMT legislators Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and Johnny Chiang (江啟臣).
Asked by reporters in Kaohsiung yesterday if he was interested, Han said he “has absolutely no plan” to run for chairman.
In an interview with China Review News Agency published yesterday, Johnny Chiang denied considering the idea, saying his priority is to stabilize things on the legislative front for the KMT.
Hou and Chiang Wan-an were vague when pressed on Sunday.
As New Taipei City mayor, he is preoccupied with his job of running the city, Hou said, adding yesterday that KMT members should calm down and ponder the party’s issues and its next steps.
Chiang Wan-an said that the KMT must thoroughly review its losses and that its problems “would not be solved in a short time.”
Additional reporting by Tsai Wen-chu and CNA
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
RSS