In a bid to bolster a weakened KMT after its crushing defeat in the presidential election, dozens of academics affiliated with the party issued a statement yesterday urging James Soong
At a news conference held yesterday by senior KMT-affiliated university professors, the academics said they were disappointed with the KMT's "incredible failure" in Saturday's polls that ended the party's 54-year grip on power.
"We sincerely call on Soong to rejoin the party, because we don't want to see the DPP monopolize power, with two smaller parties, the KMT and Soong's new party, neutralizing each other," said Chang Ya-yun
"Forming a new party is both unrealistic and irresponsible. We have to reintegrate the KMT, because the party has to be a powerful opposition party and monitor the ruling DPP," Chang said.
Chang added that the the KMT should not simply vanish.
"Soong was a KMT member for decades and he should remain loyal to the party. He cannot become a traitor," said James Yang (
He said the KMT would be in a stronger position to stand up to the DPP if Soong returned to the KMT, rather than form a new party, as he has announced he would do.
Those attending the news conference also urged KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to step down today -- as he is expected to do -- and allow Lien Chan (
"Lee Teng-hui should resign and take responsibility for his mistaken policy-making, which caused the party's failure in the election," James Yang said.
Lien garnered just 23 percent of the vote, trailing a distant third behind Soong, who won 37 percent.
"The DPP's victory doesn't mean that all the current problems caused by `black gold' politics will be solved entirely."
'The `sunshine laws' (currently under legislative review) need cooperation between the DPP and KMT if they are to go through," Yang said.
He added that the party should strengthen itself by welcoming former members who left during the election.
A statement issued by the academics called for the new party chair to be elected in a direct vote by all KMT members.
"Why are KMT members abandoning the party? Because the party lacks a democratic mechanism," Yang said.
He said important party decisions were traditionally made by the chairman and that this had created a gap between high level leaders and the rank and file.
"Meetings held by the KMT Central Standing Committee consist of one person laying down the law. There's no democracy at all in the party," Yang said.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘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