Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said he would establish an in-house poll center if he is elected to lead the party again.
Chu, who announced on Monday last week that he was entering the race for KMT chairperson, wrote on Facebook that many changes to the party would be needed and proposed three ways in which he would change it if elected.
One was to re-establish an in-house poll center that would conduct surveys on not only levels of support for different political parties, but also issues people care about, he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Scientific polls are important bases for decisionmaking in modern political parties, Chu said.
The KMT should closely follow changes in public sentiment regarding major issues and current events, and propose appropriate responses as they occur, he said.
Gaining useful information from the polls, and sharing those results with elected officials and other members of the KMT, would enable the party to connect with the public, as well as make better political decisions and public policies, Chu said, adding that they would also help the KMT win elections.
Second, by establishing a group on the messaging app Line, the KMT could combat false information and deliver accurate information, as well as increase the cohesion of its members, Chu said.
He also proposed training young people who are interested in public affairs to become future party managers, adding that they would be paid reasonable salaries and, after passing a test, would be assigned to appropriate positions.
Young people are the future of the KMT, and while the party has consistently been training them, it is far from enough, said Chu, who was KMT chairman from January 2015 to January 2016.
The KMT is scheduled to hold elections for its chairperson and delegates of its National Congress on Sept. 25.
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