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.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS