Despite being able to make the KMT feel proud about losing last December's Kaohsiung mayoral election, KMT Legislator James Chen (
Chen tendered his resignation after blue-camp councilors voted scandal-ridden independent councilor Chu An-hsiung (
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
"I offered to resign because, as the head of the party's Organization and Development Committee, I need to take responsibility for problems that damaged the image of the party," Chen said.
Despite his notorious reputation, Chu won the speakership with 25 votes. It is believed 11 of 12 KMT councilors, six out of seven PFP councilors and eight out of nine independents voted for Chu.
Prosecutors have confirmed that several Kaohsiung city councilors have turned themselves in and admitted to receiving bribes from Chu.
Chen said he is sorry to see such an outcome, adding that he failed to carry through the party headquarters' order that KMT councilors not vote for Chu.
"The job of the Organization and Development Committee is to take charge of all issues relating to the party's electoral campaign," Chen said. "I ought to take on all responsibility for any unfavorable and undesirable electoral outcome or mistakes resulting from [the committee's] campaign strategies."
KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
Saying that James Chen's resignation was a natural way to demonstrate his responsibility, KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (
"Aside from being in charge of the party's electoral campaign work, another job of the committee is to recruit new members to the party," Apollo Chen said. "I think it would help the party if the head of the committee had a clean image and didn't remind the public of the KMT's old unpleasant image."
While lauding James Chen's rich campaign experience, Apollo Chen said that such a background can sometimes work against the head of the Organization and Development Committee.
"Given James Chen's decades-long career as a public servant, he has come to learn a lot about under-the-table deals, which then remind the public of the KMT's old unpleasant image," Apollo Chen said.
James Chen is a legislator-at-large and was also a Taipei City councilor for 29 years, during which he served as city council speaker and vice speaker.
James Chen was well-known for his attacks on Chen Shui-bian (
James Chen had also served as the director of Lien's Taipei campaign office when Lien was running in the 2000 presidential election.
In the Kaohsiung mayoral race, Chen insisted on supporting the KMT's Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), despite the party's plan to dump Huang in favor of independent Chang Po-ya (張博雅). The party decided to stick with Huang and, despite losing to the race to the DPP's Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), felt proud of the result.
Huang, secured 47 percent of the vote, while Hsieh won 50 percent.
Chen said that it was for the sake of the KMT that he accepted the job as head of the Organization and Development Committee.
He said his resignation stems from that same concern.
"If my resignation can increase KMT party members' trust in the party, then I believe my resignation is in some way a contribution to the party as well," Chen said.
Chen remains a member of the party's Central Standing Committee, its highest decision-making body.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
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
RSS