Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday that the KMT, which won more than two-thirds of the legislative seats in Saturday's elections, needs to be in full control before it can shoulder all responsibility for the nation's success or failure.
Wu told a senior staff meeting yesterday morning that the KMT's rival, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had on several occasions emphasized the importance of a single party shouldering all administrative responsibility, adding that the party with a legislative majority was in the best position to play this role.
Communication committee head Huang Yu-cheng (
Wu said that, according to the DPP's logic, voters should support the KMT in the March presidential poll.
The party secured an overwhelming majority in the first legislative poll under the new "single district, two-vote" system. It won 57 of the 73 district seats, four of the six Aboriginal seats and 20 of the 34 legislator-at-large seats. The DPP suffered a crushing defeat, winning just 27 seats in total.
The absolute majority the KMT enjoys has prompted concern in some circles that the nation could return to an authoritarian era.
Huang said that Wu had cautioned party members to be humble after the overwhelming victory in Saturday's poll, adding that the party would be under close public scrutiny.
The chairman also vowed to go all out to ensure KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (
Meanwhile, KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (
Kuo was asked for comment on the results of two surveys published in the Chinese-language United Daily News and China Times yesterday.
The United Daily News survey said that the support rate for Ma and running mate Vincent Siew (
The China Times survey put the support rate for the KMT candidates at 51 percent and that of their DPP rivals at 20 percent.
Kuo said the KMT had to be cautious lest the DPP appeal to voter sympathy.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), a KMT member, expressed a similar opinion, urging voters to support the KMT to "stabilize the nation's political situation."
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘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
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS