“One who says they will run might not actually run; one who says they will not run might actually run,” Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said enigmatically in June when asked by journalists to comment on the likelihood of Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) being the sole candidate in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential primary.
Wang’s statement is beginning to look prescient.
Following nearly three months of whispers that Hung would be forced to quit the race by the party because of her low poll numbers, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Tuesday for the first time openly peeked above the parapet, so to speak, and fired a shot at Hung.
Noting that he, as the chairman of the party, was obligated to “shoulder the responsibility,” Chu said he had repeatedly told Hung that the presidential election was not just about conveying a candidates’ values and beliefs, but also about “taking into account mainstream public opinion, the party’s survival and development, and the number of seats that its legislative candidates win.”
He said he also told her that if she could not understand the importance of the legislative elections, he would have no choice but to start taking care of the bigger picture.
However, as of press time last night, Hung remained adamant in her resolve to see her presidential campaign through to the end, saying the calls for her to quit the race are “unreasonable” and warning that the public’s trust in the KMT would “dissolve at once,” if she did.
However, the KMT Central Standing Committee yesterday unanimously passed a resolution to call a provisional party congress to discuss a proposal to replace its presidential candidate.
The pundits have had a field day with all the brouhaha surrounding the KMT’s presidential choice, with some commentators accusing Chu of poor leadership while others criticize the KMT for disregarding its regulations and perhaps ditching its own candidate.
While both KMT headquarters and Chu must shoulder their share of responsibility for the party’s present state of disarray, Hung has contributed to her own, presumptive, downfall.
In June, Hung won the KMT’s primary with a 46 percent approval rating, according to surveys conducted by the party. Hung could have improved on this number by exercising prudence and presenting a campaign platform that was attractive to voters.
Polls conducted by various media outlets and think tanks since then show that Hung’s support plunging, and the latest ones have put her up to 20 percentage points behind Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Some have even placed her behind People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The truth is, Hung has brought much of the controversy on herself with her unilateral pronouncements about cross-strait relations and other abrasive remarks. She has terrified the public with her proposal of “one China, same interpretation,” her remark that she could not “say that the Republic of China exists” and her advocation of “ultimate unification with China.”
Her lack of sophistication and tact has been on display in her dealings with her own party. Comments such as that Wang should run for district legislator, that Chu should resign as New Taipei City mayor and serve as her running mate, and her recent: “I am not that stupid” response to media inquiries on the possibility of having former KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) as a running mate, have alienated her from her colleagues.
It is little wonder that the “change to Chu” whispers have taken shape and are now poised to become a reality.
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