Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that the opinion of the majority of the party representatives would be respected when asked about the possibility of a change to the party’s presumptive presidential candidate during the KMT national congress later this month.
KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) on Sunday said that although the move might not be conventional, the confirmation of Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) presidential candidacy could be put to a vote at the party chairman’s discretion during the national congress.
According to Lee, while the confirmation of Hung’s candidacy by a round of applause is hoped for during the congress, the result could nevertheless be put to a vote if representatives voice their opposition to the nomination.
Asked about frustration that some party members have reportedly expressed about a cross-strait policy proposed by Hung and the possibility that another candidate may be named, Chu said that democracy includes dissenting voices within a party and he hopes that party solidarity will be maintained.
However, “we would respect the opinion of the majority of the party representatives,” he added.
Hung’s “one China, same interpretation” cross-strait policy has created waves within and beyond the party.
In response to a poll conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party that included People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) — who has hinted that he might make another run for the presidency — and found Soong just 1 percentage point behind Hung, Chu said at this stage he expects party solidarity.
He “would take other parties’ calculated meddling and polls of particularity simply as a reference, since the party itself has been doing [its own polls] also and is trying to understand and resolve differences,” Chu said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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