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.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
ENHANCING DETERRENCE: Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and China’s coastal areas without any logistical difficulties Japan is to deploy extended-range anti-ship missiles at a Ground Self-Defense Force base in Kumamoto to bolster its defenses, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. The upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with a range of more than 1,000km, would be capable of striking targets in the Taiwan Strait and along China’s coast. Originally limited to a few hundred kilometers, the Type 12 was recently modernized ahead of schedule. Deployment, initially slated for next year, has been accelerated after the upgrade was completed sooner than expected, the newspaper said. Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and