Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday offered his resignation to the KMT Central Standing Committee, while the party listed in a report seven major reasons for its defeat in Saturday’s elections.
After Wu’s resignation, the committee appointed KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) as acting secretary-general to oversee the party’s operations.
In the report, the KMT said the major factors in its defeat were that the “sense of the nation’s impending doom” (亡國感) was greater than “hatred toward the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP]”; the KMT could not control the discussion on cross-strait relations and respond to changes; “Internet armies” swayed public opinion, challenging candidates’ images and making it difficult for them to win over independent voters; the victory in Kaohsiung’s mayoral election could not be replicated and a mistake was made regarding the choice of campaign strategy; internal conflicts within the party, lack of unity and campaigning that could have been improved; the party’s list of legislator-at-large nominees did not meet public expectations; and the party was unable to win the favor of young people, who are highly engaged in politics.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The report said that because Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the party’s presidential candidate, announced his candidacy less than six months after becoming mayor, his trustworthiness was questioned.
Han’s “repetitive” responses at the Kaohsiung City Council and failure to follow through on policy proposals, such as bringing Disneyland to the city, also raised questions about his capabilities, the report said.
His private life was put to the test, the report said, listing his verbal gaffes, “discriminatory” comments, illegal farmhouse and real-estate investments, as well as a photograph of him playing mahjong and his relationship with a woman surnamed Wang (王).
His “everyman” image was hurt, it added.
While Han’s every word and action was scrutinized, his campaign team was unable to respond with strong evidence in a timely fashion, it said.
The imprecision of the responses made his campaign vulnerable to his opponents’ attacks, it said.
His campaign “avoided” scrutiny by broadly saying that he was being smeared or “painted red” or “painted yellow,” the report said.
The DPP, along with media outlets and “Internet armies,” ran a smear campaign and created an image of Han as a caobao (草包, “country bumpkin”), it said.
This damaged Han’s efforts to win over young and independent voters, it added.
Young people care about various social issues, but the KMT’s stance on many of those issues is either at odds with young people’s views or is seen as conservative, the report said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) proposal to impose a “one country, two systems” formula for Taiwan at the beginning of last year, as well as protests in Hong Kong, resulted in the success of the DPP’s strategic use of a “sense of the nation’s impending doom,” it said.
A case involving self-confessed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) further increased concerns about Chinese interference in domestic affairs, it said.
Although the KMT has a clear cross-strait policy, it has been unable to “adjust its pace” to changing situations, the report said.
Revisions to the party’s nomination process meant candidates with political influence were unwilling to participate, the report said, adding that after the party’s primary ended not all candidates supported Han, despite promises to do so.
The process of nominating at-large legislative candidates also hurt the KMT’s image, the report said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in