Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) yesterday visited the Xianse Temple (先嗇宮) in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重), vowing to unify the party and return it to power in 2024.
Ma worshiped and gave red envelopes to temple visitors at the invitation of KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍), who is also the temple’s chairman.
Jiang and Jaw joined Ma at the temple, and their interactions were closely watched by the news media, as Jaw last week announced his bid to enter the KMT’s presidential primary, about a week after he announced his return to the party after leaving it in 1993.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“I hope Jaw’s return will encourage other members who have lost contact with the party to return to the fold as well. [KMT Legislator] Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) also expressed his willingness to shoulder his responsibility. Both are positive developments for the party,” Ma said, referring to remarks by Chiang Wan-an in a political talk show on Friday that he would not shun his responsibility when asked if he would run in the Taipei mayoral election next year.
Asked if he would encourage Jaw and Johnny Chiang to pair and contend in the 2024 presidential election, Ma said the party has an established mechanism to elect presidential candidates, whom the party would support.
Johnny Chiang said whoever is chosen to represent the party in 2024 should be supported by all party members.
Jaw said he joined Ma in his visit to the temple for the sake of party unity.
“The KMT lost the presidential election in 2020 because of its failure to unite party members. The party has to be united for the 2024 presidential election. Those interested in participating in the 2024 presidential election should fairly compete with one another for the spot,” he said.
Ma and Jaw said that President Tsai Iing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration should not immediately dismiss the possibility of using Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines.
“We do not know how the pandemic situation will change. We should not give up on any potential source of vaccines, which could add one more layer of protection for the public,” Ma said.
Jaw said Taiwan should show a goodwill gesture after Tsai said Taiwan and China should forge a dialogue.
He also urged the Tsai administration to stop calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan pneumonia,” saying such a discriminatory and derogatory term would not help improve cross-strait relations.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) later yesterday said there is insufficient information, such as studies published in scientific journals, about Chinese vaccines to consider them candidates.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS