KMT, PFP discipline party members

In a bid to show the public their resolution to stay away from "black-gold" politics, the KMT and the PFP yesterday continued to spell out lists of party members who are to undergo disciplinary action for supporting scandal-ridden Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄) in last week's Kaohsiung council speakership race.

In a meeting held to investigate instances of party members defying KMT policy during the recent Kaohsiung council speakership race, 10 KMT Kaohsiung city councilors were singled out by the party's Evaluation and Discipline Committee yesterday to be expelled from the party.

They are Dai Te-ming (戴德銘), Yang Min-lang (楊敏郎), Chen Han-sheng (陳漢昇), Liu Shao-chun (劉少春), Wu Lin Shu-ming (吳林淑敏), Tsao Ming-hui (曹明輝), Jen Chang-fa (曾長發), Huang Tien-chai (黃添財), Lan Hsing-mu (藍星木) and Chen Yun-lung (陳雲龍).

"All committee members agreed that all these people ought to be expelled for their conduct [in voting for Chu in the race] deemed harmful to the image of the party," said director-general of the committee Chen Kang-chin (陳庚金) at a press conference held following the committee's two-hour meeting.

"However, since prosecutors are still in the process of investigating the vote-buying case, these 10 Kaohsiung city councilors will for now have their membership suspended rather than expelled," Chen said.

"However, if any of them is to later confirmed by the prosecutors to have been involved in the vote-buying case, he/she will be expelled from the party right away," Chen said.

In addition, Chen said that the committee had reached an agreement to have KMT Kaohsiung city councilor Tsai Ching-yuan (蔡慶源) expelled from the party.

In the recent Kaohsiung mayoral election, Tsai, refused to campaign for KMT contender Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) and instead openly stumped for DPP Mayor Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) re-election bid.

"Tsai's conduct gravely deviated from party guidelines and thus all committee members agreed to have him expelled," Chen said.

In a bid to show the party's determination to stay away from black-gold politicsa, Chen added that committee members had suggested that from now on, all candidates nominated by the party would have to sign an affidavit saying that they would not participate in black-gold politics. "Otherwise, they will not be nominated," he said.

Resolutions made by the commitee will today submitted to the party's Central Standing Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, for final approval.

Meanwhile, the PFP yesterday also rolled out its name-list of five Kaohsiung city councilors who would have their memberships suspended for supporting Chu.

They are Chieh Chin-cheng (簡金城), Yang Se-yu (楊色玉), Lin Shou-shan (林壽山), Ting Yen-chen (童燕珍) and Lee Jung-chung (李榮宗).

"They are singled out to undergo party disciplinary action because they have harmed the party's image by voting for a controversial candidate," said PFP Deputy Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) at a press conference yesterday.