KMT selling land in Mucha too cheaply, members complain

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members expressed concern yesterday that the party is planning to sell its Institute on Policy Research and Development in Mucha too cheaply.

KMT Deputy Secretary-General Chang Che-shen (張哲琛) said that the land is zoned for government use, which makes it cheaper than residential real estate.

Chang denied that the KMT's asking price for the land is too low.

"The institute's land is for governmental or institutional use, which is cheaper than residential land. We did not lower the price," Chang said yesterday.

According to reports in the Chinese-language media, the KMT plans to sell the land for NT$360,000 per ping (one ping equals 3.3m2), while a plot in the same general area which belonged to the National Property Bureau of the Ministry of Finance is selling for NT$560,000 per ping.

When asked if the KMT will sign a contract with a new buyer within the next day or two, Chang declined to give an exact date, and said that the party will sell the property as soon as possible.

Chang made the remarks during a meeting to review the voting chaos at the party convention last week.

The meeting concluded that some party members need to take responsibility for the confusion surrounding the election of Central Committee members.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that he received a request from party Secretary-General Chan Chuen-pao (詹春柏) and Organization and Development Committee head Liao Feng-teh (廖風德) to mete out punishment to those responsible for the confusion.

"There will be people who need to take responsibility for the voting chaos. As for who will be held responsible and what kind of punishment it will be, I will ask Chan to take care of it," Ma said.

The sudden decision to directly elect the party's Central Standing Committee members last week, gave rise to a spate of protest from party members.

Tempers also flared when it was discovered that the names of three of the candidates in the Central Committee election were found to be missing from the vote.