Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday it was important to keep party discipline after Hsinchu County Council Speaker Chang Pi-chin (張碧琴) was stripped of her party membership, adding that he would spare no effort to win the local government chief elections in December.
The party’s Central Standing Committee yesterday approved the revoking of Chang’s party membership after the KMT’s Hsinchu chapter expelled her on Monday for registering for the county commissioner election.
“In addition to affection and morality, discipline is also important in maintaining the 100-year-old KMT. Without discipline, the party would collapse,” Wu said while addressing a farewell party in his honor at party headquarters.
PHOTO: CNA
Wu will hand over the party chairmanship to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Oct. 17.
In response to Chang’s case and several pan-blue splits in counties as the election approaches, Wu said taking disciplinary action against those who violated party regulations was necessary for the sake of party unity.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) said the party would take disciplinary action against any member who left the party to run in elections or violated party regulations to campaign for certain candidates.
The party’s Disciplinary Committee will take action against Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金), who announced his support for Chang and campaigned for her, he said.
Disciplinary action will also be taken against other party members, including Hualien County Deputy Commissioner Chang Chih-ming (張志明), who recently withdrew from the KMT to run as an independent candidate for Hualien County commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Central Standing Committee approved the party’s nomination of Yunlin Technology University associate professor Wu Wei-chi (吳威志) as the party’s candidate for the Yunlin County Commissioner election.
Wu Wei-chi, who was Ma’s preferred candidate, said he would work hard to secure victory in the election.
The party confirmed Wu’s nomination on Tuesday night after Chang Li-shan (張麗善) withdrew her candidacy last month because of a split among local factions.
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