Doubts over whether the People First Party (PFP) can extend its political territory within the Legislative Yuan have been temporarily silenced, as former KMT legislator Wang Tein-ging (
His acceptance within the new party brings its representation in the legislature, currently the third largest caucus, to 19.
But critics said the newly founded party's objective -- to lure at least 40 legislators to unite under its banner -- will be difficult to achieve in the short term.
Wang, a veteran KMT member of 35 years and a strong representative of the party's constituency of retired soldiers, told reporters yesterday that it was his "disappointment with the prospect of internal reform within the KMT" that drove him to leave the party for the PFP.
Asked if his departure was triggered by concerns of winning the next legislative election -- prospects of which have diminished in the wake of defections from the KMT -- Wang scoffed at the idea.
"I find such a suggestion derogatory," Wang, now serving his fourth term, said.
PFP legislative caucus spokesman Liu Wen-hsiung (
Liu and his counterparts welcomed Wang during a caucus meeting yesterday.
Liu called Wang "a professional legislator who knows a lot about national defense issues," adding that Wang's entry was "an asset" to the PFP legislative caucus.
PFP legislative caucus rules state that any entry into the group requires the consent of at least half of the existing members. Such regulations, said analysts, were designed to keep out legislators the consensus deems inappropriate.
"It aims to retain the image of the newly founded party as being pure and fresh," said Wu Tung-yeh (
Although PFP legislators hoped to lure up to 40 others to join them, Wu said uncertainty over the KMT's internal reforms, as well as the development of the new party, would make such an objective impossible to reach -- at least in the short run.
"The PFP's expectations to attract up to 40 legislators were perhaps based on the assumption that the KMT would split soon after its loss in the presidential election, catalyzed by internal disputes over how to reform the party," Wu said.
"But as the KMT is still groping its way toward reform, those legislators with a PFP defection in mind could defer their attempts to jump ship. So it will be difficult for the PFP to attract 40 legislators to join the party in the short run," he added.
Following the establishment of the PFP's legislative caucus on April 7, Wang's defection from the KMT brings to two the number of legislators that have jumped ship. He joins former New Party legislator Lee Ching-hua (
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS