Another Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker has declined to run on a KMT ticket for a legislative seat in southern Taiwan.
KMT legislator-at-large Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) was expected by the party to run in Pingtung County, but is said to have turned down the offer.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported Su saying on Monday that since the KMT has traditionally performed weakly in Pingtung’s third electoral district, where the KMT wanted him to run for a legislative seat, the chance of winning is slim if a traditional “blue-green face-off” is played out.
He said that the party could cooperate with former Taiwan Solidarity Union secretary-general Huang Chao-chan (黃昭展), — who plans to run as an independent — following a model set up by non-affiliated Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). While Ko ran as an independent, his victory over KMT candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) in last year’s nine-in-one elections is widely believed to have been partly due to the Democratic Progressive Party’s “polite yielding.”
Huang would be facing DPP Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) if he steps into the ring.
Su did not respond to telephone calls from the Taipei Times yesterday.
Reports have said the KMT faces a predicament in that few want to represent the party in central and southern Taiwan, prompting the party to consider disciplinary action against members who do not abide by party decisions.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the problem is for party headquarters to deal with.
“Is coercion going to work [when it comes to] elections?” Wang asked.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) said on Sunday that KMT Pingtung chapter director Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) said Su promised to join the race in the district, and party headquarters “has a serious problem” with his decision to drop out.
It does not rule out the possibility of party discipline, Liao said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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