Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday apologized for making the “reluctant, but necessary decision” to oust Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as the party’s presidential candidate at a special party congress scheduled for Saturday.
“As chairman of the KMT, I cannot shift the blame for the party’s ongoing turmoil and dismal election campaign prospects to others. It is due to a lack of effort and communication on my part,” Chu, who is also New Taipei City mayor, said on the sidelines of a New Taipei City council meeting in the morning.
Chu apologized to his KMT comrades, before expressing his “sincerest apology” to Hung for what has happened and the KMT’s decision.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
A formal apology, along with a detailed explanation of the whole issue, is to be issued after today’s regular weekly meeting of the KMT’s Central Standing Committee and again after the party congress on Saturday afternoon, Chu said.
Chu’s comments came after Hung’s adamant refusal to quit the race, despite repeated calls from Chu and other party members for her to consider the “bigger picture.”
They also came after Hung on Monday night in a Facebook post questioned the rationale behind the KMT leadership’s criticism of her cross-strait policies — which she said advocate separate governance instead of division across the Taiwan Strait — for straying from the KMT’s stance and mainstream public opinion.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“I am accused of deviating from mainstream public opinion simply because I told the truth. Is this really the case?” Hung wrote.
Asked whether Saturday’s congress would create solidarity or further division, Chu said that while unity does not necessarily translate into victory, a divided party almost always leads to failure.
“Various opinions have been voiced from within the party, which is why we intend to reach a consensus through the upcoming congress that is aimed at ‘forging consensuses and securing victory through party solidarity,’” Chu said.
He shrugged off reporters’ questions about whether he is going to replace Hung as candidate, with KMT Vice Chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), a former Chiayi mayor, as his running mate.
“This is a hypothetical question. I will respect any decisions reached by the KMT’s representatives on Saturday as long as they are conducive to achieving consensuses and party unity,” Chu said.
When asked for comment about Chu’s apology, Hung — speaking on the sidelines of an afternoon legislative session — said whether an apology is made is not as important as conforming to the party’s internal democratic system.
She previously criticized the KMT headquarters’ decision to put her nomination to a vote at a special congress as detrimental to the KMT’s primary system.
Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that who the KMT nominates as its presidential candidate is not people’s main concern, because Taiwanese care more about having a different political party take the helm next year.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting