Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday rejected the “hall of one voice” label attached to the party after it earlier this week revoked the memberships of five party members who often publicly criticized the party.
“The decision was necessary to uphold the party’s discipline. Party members can criticize the party, chairman, or any party leader, but they cannot undermine party unity,” Chu said.
Chu said that the most important purpose of the expulsion was to call on everyone to “unite as one,” to refrain from “waving a blue flag to oppose the blue flag,” or to “collude with the pan-green camp behind the pan-blue camp’s back.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“These kinds of behaviors are impermissible,” Chu said of the expulsions.
The purge has drawn derisive comments that the KMT is a “hall of one voice,” where people with different views are not allowed in.
Concerns were also raised that it could accentuate divisions which the party has been struggling with in that, except for alternative Central Committee member Lee Po-jung (李柏融), the other four kicked out of the party are likely to face off against their previous KMT colleagues in January’s legislative election.
The KMT, which has picked Legislator Yen Kuan-hen (顏寬恆) over Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟) to run in the second constituency of Taichung, would have to submissively surrender the seat to the Democratic Progressive Party if Chi decides to run as an independent candidate to make it a three-way race, SET-TV reported.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), seeking re-election in the eighth constituency of Taipei, consisting of Wenshan District (文山) and part of Zhongzheng District (中正), is expected to run against Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元), who has hinted he may run against Lai as an independent candidate.
Former Taipei city councilor Yang Shih-chiu (楊實秋) has been rumored to be running for a legislative seat in the seventh constituency of Taipei, including Xinyi District (信義) and part of Songshan District (松山), against KMT Legislator Alex Fei (費鴻泰).
Yao Li-ming (姚立明), who was the campaign manager of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in last year’s mayoral election, recently confirmed Yang is among a few KMT politicians he tried talking into running as an independent legislative candidate.
Chang Sho-wen (張碩文), who quit the KMT to join the People First Party before he was expelled from the KMT, is running for a legislative seat in the third constituency of New Taipei City in Sanchong District (三重) where the KMT is likely to nominate Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍), who served as mayor of the former Sanchong city.
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
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,”
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
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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