Amid growing challenges over the legitimacy of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) bid for re-election as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) yesterday dismissed speculation that the party was mulling amending its regulations in favor of Ma.
“There is speculation that the KMT headquarters is considering turning its party regulations into ‘self-benefiting rules for Ma,’ but we have never had such a plan,” Yin said in response to media inquiries.
Yin’s comment came after KMT Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) on Friday openly questioned Ma’s eligibility to seek a second re-election for chairman after his current term concludes this year.
Citing the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) and Article 17 of the KMT charter, Tsai said leaders of any civil organization, including political parties, can be re-elected only once and that the party’s chairperson can only stand for re-election after serving a full, four-year term.
Ma was elected KMT chairman in 2005, but resigned in 2007, when he was embroiled in a corruption case for allegedly misusing his special allowance during his tenure as Taipei mayor.
The position was taken over by Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), who served as party chairman until 2009, when Ma was found not guilty of the graft charges and was re-elected as party chairman.
“Even if President Ma insisted on seeking another term and won re-election, the election result could be nullified by a court,” Tsai said, citing an annulment case involving former Jhunan (竹南) Township mayor Kang Shih-ju (康世儒).
The Taiwan High Court in November last year invalidated Kang’s victory in the 16th Jhunan mayoral by-election in January last year. The court ruled that the re-election bid by Kang, who had served as the 14th and 15th mayor of Jhunan, despite having resigned during his second term after winning a seat in the 2009 legislative elections, ran counter to the Local Government Act (地方制度法).
However, Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) said on Saturday that because the laws did not specify whether the two-term limit referred to two consecutive terms or two terms in total, the ministry would respect the KMT’s own interpretation of the rule.
“The KMT’s charter allows its party chairperson to be re-elected once and according to the Ministry of the Interior, each political party can have its own definition of the two-term limit. We believe the ministry has addressed the matter and validated [Ma’s re-election bid],” Yin said.
Yin added that because the ministry had clarified that the Local Government Act did not necessarily apply to the Civil Associations Act and Wu was also chosen as KMT chairman through an election, Ma’s run for re-election was legitimate.
“We [the KMT headquarters] will go by the ministry’s explanation and carry out the matter in accordance with party regulations,” Yin said.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) of the KMT called for an intra-party consensus to support Ma’s bid for re-election.
Hau made the call on the sidelines of a groundbreaking ceremony for the second stage of the construction of the Taipei Welfare Center for the Disabled.
“The KMT must unite and seek consensus on the issue of [Ma’s] legitimacy to be re-elected as party chairman. After an intra-party consensus is forged, every one of us should jointly support our chairman Ma Ying-jeou’s [re-election bid,]” Hau said.
Responding to the controversy, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said it was not the first time the KMT had resorted to tailor-made mechanisms for Ma’s personal benefit.
“The KMT revised its party chapter so Ma could run for president,” Lin said.
Ma’s doubling as president and KMT chairman did not benefit the country as he has claimed, Lin added.
However, Lin said the DPP declined further commen because it is an internal matter for the KMT, which involves a power struggle within the party.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS