The pro-independence "Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan" (台灣正名運動聯盟) yesterday suggested that the KMT change its name to show that it identifies with Taiwan.
Members of the alliance made the suggestion when extending an invitation to the KMT to join a parade, scheduled for May 11, to promote Taiwan as the official name of the nation.
But no high-ranking KMT officials showed up to receive the visitors or gave a reply as to whether the party would accept the alliance's suggestion and invitation.
A staff member from the party's Organization and Development Committee's Social Affairs Division, who received the alliance members, promised that he would pass on the alliance's message to the KMT leadership.
According to Peter Wang (王獻極), a liaison officer for the alliance, the KMT should remove the word "China" from its party name and replace it with "Taiwan."
Strictly translated, the party's official name is the "Chinese Nationalist Party" (
Wang said the KMT started work to localize itself during the chairmanship of Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and that Chiang's successor, Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), made an all-out effort to continue along that path.
"It is a pity that the KMT's pro-Taiwan line has started to become shaky since its defeat in the 2000 presidential election," Wang said.
"The Taiwanese people's mistrust of the party was what led to its second setback in last year's legislative elections," he added.
Wang expressed strong disapproval of KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) recent remark, made in Washington last week, that all people in Taiwan are "pure Chinese."
"We wish that [Lien's remark] was a slip of the tongue and not words from the bottom of his heart. Lien has lived in Taiwan for more than 50 years and should identify with Taiwan," Wang said.
Though Lien did not respond directly to the alliance's remarks yesterday, he did discuss a related topic at the weekly meeting of the party's Central Standing Committee.
Lien dismissed as a "big joke" the allegation that the KMT is not a localized party, saying the allegation is made by some politicians to "defame the KMT deliberately and maliciously."
"When the KMT was struggling and working hard to develop Taiwan, where were those people who are criticizing us now? Some people even consider themselves Japanese or American, but neither Taiwanese nor Chinese," Lien said.
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