Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
"How can you embark on a `thanksgiving and unity tour' when you don't work to unite party headquarters first?" said Chiu Teh-hung (
KMT spokesman Alex Tsai (
party integration
Saying he is not against Lien soliciting support from the grassroots, Chiu said the priority should be integrating views within the party, noting discrepancies over the party's political stance and Lien's recent proposal to merge the KMT with the People First Party (PFP).
"The party authorities should first work to integrate their own views and establish a common base on the party's direction before touring towns and asking the grassroots to unite behind the party," Chiu said.
Chiu is a member of the "Chunghsing [rejuvenation] Elite Group" (
The group has been urging the party since the March 20 presidential election to step up internal reforms.
Niu Tso-hsun (鈕則勳), a member of another group of young KMT members called the "567 alliance," said Lien's tour "should be one that focuses on listening to what local supporters really think and want."
"Reform should be the thrust of Lien's tour," Niu said, adding that he hopes the tour can help the party form a democratic system internally and gather opinions from the bottom up.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Lo Chin-ming (
"Lien might not have realized that his moves these past couple of months have turned off many of the so-called light-blues among his supporters in central and southern Taiwan and led to a significant drop in his support rate in these areas," Lo said.
"Some KMT members seeking seats in central and southern Taiwan are actually secretly hoping that Lien will not stump for them," Lo said. "They view Lien as possible poison to their electoral outlook."
more harm than good
Chiu said some KMT members are finding their party affiliation a liability.
"There are people who want to be nominated by the party for December's legislative election, but they refrain from mentioning the KMT when they interact with locals for their support," said Chiu, who is also chief of staff for the vice speaker of the Miaoli County Council.
Chiu said that, due to the party leadership's preoccupation with the presidential election at the expense of reforms and the upcoming legislative elections, KMT members are skirting party headquarters and working on their own to win local support as they prepare for December.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting