Pundits and party members alike are wondering whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will be named an honorary chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), as was done with his predecessors, Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former vice president Lien Chan (連戰).
Ma resigned his party post after the KMT’s rout in the Nov. 29 nine-in-one elections last year.
A KMT member who wished to remain unidentified said that although the position and duties of an honorary chairman are not clearly penned in the party charter, it signifies the party’s recognition of a person who has contributed greatly to the party.
Lien was deemed by the party as having made a significant contribution when he made an ice-breaking trip to China in 2005, and met then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), party sources said, adding that Wu had played a key role in helping the KMT reclaim the presidency in 2008.
As Ma was elected KMT chairman three times, some members said it would be strange for him not to be named an honorary chairman.
However, others differ, saying that while Lien and Wu left the chairmanship having made great contributions, Ma stepped down due to the party’s drubbing in the elections as a result of his poor governance as president.
KMT Central Standing Committee member Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) said during the committee’s meeting on Dec. 3 — the meeting in which Ma quit as chairman — that Ma should be given the position of honorary chairman for his contribution to the party and the nation. However, no other committee members concurred at the time and discussions were not resolved in the meeting.
Party sources said that if the newly elected KMT chairman, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), is to nominate Ma as honorary chairman, he would have to refer the nomination to the Central Standing Committee for passage and later submit it to the party congress for recognition.
This would also be an indication of how well Chu and Ma get along in the future, the informed party member said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai