The highest decision-making body of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday approved Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) proposal to push for a merger with the People First Party (PFP).
"After an enthusiastic meeting discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved by all members of the Central Standing Commit-tee," Lien said at a news conference held following a three-hour closed-door committee meeting.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-FANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The KMT's vice chairmen and a number of committee members attended the press conference.
Without elaborating on details of the merger plan, such as whether he or PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) would lead the merged party, Lien said that he and Soong would assemble a task force to facilitate the merger.
Soong, a former KMT member, created the PFP after he lost the 2000 presidential election, in which had run as an independent candidate after failing to win the KMT's nomination. Most of the PFP's founding members were KMT defectors.
Lien said the KMT's organization department will hold seminars for grassroots party members to exchange views concerning this matter.
"Once consensus is established, the merger plan will be forwarded to the upcoming national party congress for approval and confirmation," Lien said.
The party congress is scheduled for July.
Stressing that "Taiwan must continue to strengthen and consolidate an all-people politics that is centrist, rational, tolerant and diverse," Lien said that it was according to such ideals that "the KMT and the PFP, on the existing base of cooperation, are working toward a merger, which is the expectation and will of the majority of the public."
Lien's announcement was greeted with cheers and applause from a crowd of pan-blue supporters who had gathered in lobby of the KMT's national headquarters. Some of the supporters waved national flags or held up homemade posters that read "Go, go! Lien Chan."
When asked by reporters about a timetable for the merger, Lien said "the sooner the better."
KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) had on Tuesday said that the merger would be more meaningful if the deal could be finalized ahead of the year-end legislative elections.
Emphasizing that he is not opposed to the merger plan, KMT Legislator Hsu Chong-hsiung (徐中雄), a member of the Central Standing Committee, said "proper logistics" must be upheld in working on the merger.
Hsu said that several other committee members shared his view that the party ought to allow open debate on the issue and leave it to a vote among party members.
Meanwhile, Soong told reporters yesterday said that the merger would provide the people of Taiwan with another option.
Soong, however, also said that the KMT needs to tackle many issues, including "localization," party assets, "black gold" politics and internal power struggles.
Soong's remarks were echoed by PFP legislators.
"There are some KMT legislators who went missing during the presidential election campaign, but came back to criticize their party afterwards. We also have to watch [former president] Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) past connections in the KMT. It's those [people] from the localization faction who are damaging the party's image," said PFP caucus whip Hsieh Chang-chieh (謝章捷).
"The merger is not just about the two parties or a few individuals but rather the whole opposition. Chairman Lien has to act tough and clear out those who are trying to split the party. Those who wish to go should be allowed to go. If that doesn't happen, the merger would be a marriage between a disciplined and well-respected PFP and a corrupted KMT," Hsieh said.
"The KMT and the PFP are not merging for the sake of merging. So the they have to reflect first on whether the merger is good for the Taiwanese people, national development and the pan-blue supporters," said Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), director of the PFP Policy Research Center.
"Before the merger, the KMT needs to deal with `black gold' politics, differing party-development ideas and party assets," Chang said.
"Plus Lee Teng-hui is trying to `TSU-ize' the KMT, and the KMT should first clear out the so-called `localization' faction or Lee's people," Chang said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS