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Ma promises closer links between the KMT and Cabinet

Top government officials and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) figures led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) gathered at the party's 17th national congress yesterday, vowing to enhance cooperation to create a better future for Taiwanese.

Ma led the party's top brass, including Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), in bowing to a statue of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) at the party's first national congress since it regained power in May.

Ma reassured party members that his administration would seek closer cooperation with the party and affirmed his support for the party's move to tighten its integrity clause and recruit younger members.

“Democratic politics is party politics. The government will not separate itself from the party. The party and the government play different roles, but we must enhance cooperation,” Ma said, addressing the congress held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

In a bid to attract younger members to rejuvenate the party, the KMT yesterday approved Wu's nominations of Chiayi Mayor Huang Ming-hui (黃敏惠) and Taoyuan County Commissioner Eric Chu (朱立倫), two of the party's rising stars, as vice chairpersons.

Wu also appointed Legislative Vice Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (吳敦義) and KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) as vice chairpersons to seek a balance between legislative and party power.

Wu Po-hsiung led the five appointees in reciting their pledge to promote the 114-year-old party. Wu said the five new vice chairpersons would serve voluntarily and would not take any salary.

As Ma had also served as vice chairman during Lien Chan's (連戰) tenure as KMT chairman, Chu's appointment was widely viewed as the party's move to groom him to be the next leader.

Chu vowed to spare no efforts in assisting Wu Poh-hsiung with party affairs, but declined to comment when asked if he would be the next chairman.

“Chairman Wu has voiced his wish that more young people participate in party affairs and push party reforms. As a party member, I will try my best to help with party affairs,” he said.

The KMT also revised regulations to ensure that younger members account for at least 10 percent of party delegates and the central committee.

It also finalized the appointment of five Cabinet members as Central Standing Committee (CSC) members to enhance cooperation with the government.

The five Cabinet members will likely begin attending the CSC's weekly meetings within two weeks. However, the party did not publicize the names of the five appointees despite Ma's previous pledge to make the CSC more transparent.

The KMT also approved rules to tighten the integrity clause, which was relaxed last year so that Ma, then indicted for alleged misuse of his special mayoral allowance, would be able to run as the party's representative in the presidential election.

The revised clause provides that the party rights of KMT members who are found guilty of corruption or bribery in the first trial will be suspended. The KMT will revoke their memberships if they are found guilty in a second trial.
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