Former National Assembly Speaker Su Nan-cheng (
The KMT's Evaluation and Discipline Committee unanimously approved the expulsion of Su and immediately sent an official letter to the Central Election Committee (CEC).
Officials at the CEC confirmed they had received the letter requesting Su's expulsion from the National Assembly.
"At the earliest we could convene a special meeting tomorrow, or perhaps within two or three days time, to complete all the necessary paper work,'' said Chen Hsueh-hui (陳雪慧), secretary-general of the CEC.
Su was expelled following the passing of a series of measures in September that amended the Constitution, by extending the term of assembly members by more than two years and replacing future elections with a system of proportional representation.
Su was accused of contravening the party line by allowing assembly deputies to vote for a second time during the second reading of the controversial term-extension amendment, after the motion had failed to pass the first time.
Though the KMT and DPP headquarters strongly opposed the term extensions, deputies of both parties came out in support of the move in the early hours of Sept. 4.
The KMT's Central Standing Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, approved Su's expulsion from the party on Sept. 8.
But legal protection measures in the party constitution allow disciplined members to file an appeal within 30 days, after receiving notice of punishment against them.
Su did appeal to the party's discipline committee with a 20,000 character report on Oct. 19.
But it was not until Oct. 27, when media reports revealed no action had been taken, that there was fierce criticism of the KMT in the press.
As a result KMT headquarters was forced to accelerate the expulsion process by announcing it would convene a provisional disciplinary meeting.
Chien Wei-chang (
"Su tried to shift the blame to party headquarters for its obscure stance on constitutional reform, and to the assembly's caucus leader for lacking strong leadership, while reiterating that what he did was appropriate in his role as Assembly Speaker,'' Chien said.
Chien, however, dismissed Su's words as empty, saying, "It was as clear as crystal, that everyone from President Lee Teng-hui (
Among the participating disciplinary members, Chien said, no-one defended Su's behavior.
On the contrary, several blasted his lack of self-criticism in the appeal. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the party's Central Standing Committee will approve the expulsion order next Wednesday.
It will be the second time Su has been kicked out of the party, having been first expelled for violating a party resolution and running for Tainan City Mayor in 1972, an election he won.
After winning a re-election in 1982 Su was allowed to return into the KMT fold.
While all KMT heavyweights called for the dismissal of Su's party membership, opposition members, including the DPP's Assembly caucus leader, crossed party lines to back up Su.
"The KMT has 180 seats in the Assembly compared with the DPP, which has only 88, so Su is just a referee. It was strange to see such a strong team as the KMT -- who lost the [constitutional amendment] game to us -- punishing Su, rather than the coach [KMT Secretary-General John Chang], or team leaders [such as KMT Assembly caucus leader Chen Ming-jen (
Some cynics said the KMT move was an attempt to protect the party's presidential candidate's credibility and popularity, against charges of cronyism.
"It couldn't be more obvious that the KMT's quick response to Su's expulsion case was meant mainly to prevent further potential damage to Lien Chan's campaign," said Spencer Yang (
"The issue could not be allowed to fester as the result would have affected Lien's popularity rating in opinion polls. That is something he cannot afford," Spencer said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS