The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday revoked Defense Minister Lee Jye's (
"Lee has said that he only listened to what the ruling party said. Such comments seriously jeopardize ... military ethics," the KMT's Evaluation and Discipline Committee said in a written statement yesterday.
The committee had decided to revoke Lee's membership at a meeting on Wednesday, but the decision was only announced yesterday.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
As the country's highest-ranking military officer and a KMT member, Lee should not have made disrespectful comments about former KMT chairman Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), the committee said.
"Lee showed disrespect for the [late party] chairman. He is an opportunist who is out to please those in power. He surrendered to the ruling party's political ideologies by saying that `I listen to whichever party is in power,'" the KMT said in a statement.
"The KMT decided to revoke his membership because he has not only violated the military's code of ethics ... but also triggered attacks from the public and damaged the party's reputation," it said.
The defense ministry last month ordered the removal of hundreds of statues of Chiang from military bases despite strong protest from the KMT, which denounced the move as part of efforts from the government to sever the nation's "Chinese roots."
Lee has denied claims that he took the initiative to remove the statues and said they were only "temporarily moved indoors for storage."
The KMT also accused the minister of pandering to the whims of those in power and fawning over the DPP government.
The party decided to revoke Lee's membership as his comments and actions have met with harsh criticism from voters and seriously tarnished the KMT's image, the committee said.
Lee responded to his expulsion at a legislative session yesterday.
"We recognize former president Chiang's contributions to the military. ... I regret the KMT's decision, but I accept it," he said.
Lee said he was sorry that he had been expelled from the KMT, but added that he would not consider an offer from the DPP to join the ruling party at this moment.
When the KMT's legislative caucus announced Lee's expulsion yesterday, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (
"I am sorry about what they [the KMT] did, but I am also thankful that they did it. It came at the right time, because someone in my job should not be concerned with politics," Lee said.
"Although I do not understand why the KMT would do this to me, I will accept the party's decision. In any case, it will be easier for me to do my job properly if I do not belong to any political party," Lee said.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters. Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday. About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military. Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said. Thailand’s military announced that
RSS