The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Institute of Revolutionary Practice yesterday resumed its training sessions after a 20-year hiatus, with institute director Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) saying the party should do more to connect with young people.
The KMT started a “reform agenda” following its losses in January’s presidential and legislative elections.
During the session’s opening ceremony in Taipei yesterday, Lo said he was moved to see 400 applicants sign up “even when the KMT is in its darkest era.”
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Given its limited quota, the institute only admitted 100 applicants, he said.
“Young people’s interest in the session is an extremely precious gift for the KMT, as the party has almost nothing left but ideals, its mission and glory in its counteraction against the power-abusing Democratic Progressive Party,” Lo said.
“The number of applicants shows that young people have not forsaken the KMT, and so the party should not give up reaching out to them,” he added.
Although the KMT is in its lowest ebb, it is time for the party to demonstrate its ideals and strengths, Lo said, adding that those standing up to an opposition party are brave, as they face bullying and isolation.
He said that those who side with the ruling party do not need courage, as they are favored by the media, Internet celebrities and their affiliated “cyberarmy,” while having access to more government resources.
Lo urged the KMT to do its job as an opposition force, so that it can win back people’s confidence and one day resume as a ruling power.
If it returns to the nation’s helm, the KMT would not confiscate civic property, keep its own media and cyberarmy, or abuse government resources, he said.
KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), serving as the director of the session’s camp activity, met with trainees at an evening forum yesterday.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
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 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last 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 covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
A mountain blaze that broke out yesterday morning in Yangmingshan National Park was put out after five hours, following multi agency efforts involving dozens of fire trucks and helicopter water drops. The fire might have been sparked by an air quality sensor operated by the National Center for High-Performance Computing, one of the national-level laboratories under the National Applied Research Laboratories, Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters said. The Taipei City Fire Department said the fire, which broke out at about 11am yesterday near the mountainous Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑) Recreation Area was extinguished at 4:32pm. It had initially dispatched 72 personnel in four command vehicles, 16