Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) was on Wednesday night nominated as a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Committee, despite the recent public outcry over the forced demolition of four houses in Miaoli County’s Dapu Borough (大埔).
On President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nomination list, Liu was ranked 32th out of 210 nominees.
Keelung Mayor Chang Tung-rong (張通榮), who has low approval ratings, ranked 34th.
Liu ranked 77th in the previous nomination list presented by former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄).
The top five nominees included KMT legislators Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and Yuang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), and KMT Central Standing Committee members Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), Hung Yu-chin (洪玉欽) and Hsu Hsian-rong (許顯榮).
The nomination list sparked criticism from the opposition camp, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) saying that Ma’s list will generate public dissent against the KMT, and his nomination of Liu as a Central Committee member reflected his ignorance of public opinion.
The KMT yesterday declined to comment on Ma’s nomination of Liu as a Central Committee member amid continuous protests against Liu and the county government.
A KMT official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, rebutted Ker’s criticism by insisting that the party’s nomination list did not guarantee that all nominees will be elected, as party delegates also have the right to nominate Central Committee members via petitions.
The official acknowledged that Ma’s nomination should guarantee election, but added that party members aiming for the Central Committee can still qualify to enter the race by obtaining signatures from at least six party delegates.
Former Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien (連勝文), son of former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), and KMT Central Standing Committee member Hsieh Kung-hung (謝坤宏), who failed in his attempt to compete with Ma in the KMT chairmanship election earlier this month, are also on the nomination list.
The KMT will elect 210 Central Committee members on Aug. 17, while party delegates will elect 32 Central Standing Committee members from those Central Committee members on Sept. 7.
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