While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) appears to be trying to downplay the political squabble between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) over the past month, members of the party’s Central Standing Committee refuse to let the issue go and are demanding explanations.
The Ma-Wang showdown began on Aug. 31, when Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) briefed the president on information gathered via a wiretap allegedly showing improper lobbying by Wang on behalf of Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).
Observers say that Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, then tried to remove Wang from his post as legislative speaker, by suspending his party membership saying Wang had brought “shame on Taiwan’s judiciary and democratic history.”
Wang took the KMT court and the Taipei District Court granted him an injunction that let the speaker provisionally retain his party membership. The Taiwan High Court upheld the ruling after the KMT appealed it.
Ahead of its 19th party congress, which is to take place on Nov. 10 in Greater Taichung, the KMT is working overtime to print invitations to the summit. However, sources say the party has not addressed Wang’s invitation to: “Chairman Wang, of the party of chairmen” as it has in the past — a detail that symbolized Wang’s high stature within the KMT — but has instead addressed the invitation as: “To Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng.”
Meanwhile, the KMT Central Evaluation and Disciplinary Committee has also quietly removed the notice informing member of Wang’s membership revocation from the headquarters doors, in stark contrast to the very public methods party officials used to announce the suspension last month.
According to sources, no matter which side KMT members took in the Ma-Wang saga, many feel they cannot simply accept that the past month’s events be breezily pushed aside by the party leadership, adding that some KMT representatives may ask for explanations at the congress.
The source said that some KMT members were extremely critical of the party headquarters’ actions, saying that by taking a stance in what it had deemed “an issue with no middle ground,” the headquarters had put the party in a catch-22 situation.
KMT Central Standing Committee member Lee Te-wei (李德維) said that while it was good that party headquarters is toning down its stance on the squabble, the issue of justice must be dealt with.
“It must provide an answer, an explanation, or the members of the party are all fools,” Lee said.
Ma supporters who criticized Wang now find themselves in an awkward situation, while others like the son of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), Sean Lien (連勝文), who backed Wang were heavily criticized by overseas party members.
“The party headquarters should give us justice,” Lee said.
“Wang’s stance on the revocation of his party membership has never changed. He considers himself ‘a member of the KMT forever,’ it was the party central leadership that has continually shifted its position,” Lee added.
“It started the issue and said Wang shamed Taiwan’s democracy, but now is softening its tone,” Lee said, but added: “The wound has been made and someone needs to step down to show they are willing to take responsibility.”
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a