The emotion-laden criticism against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) demonstrates a lack of political grace expected of the ruling party and its presidential candidate, DPP spokesperson Juan Chao-hsiung (阮昭雄) said yesterday.
Hung was confirmed yesterday as her party’s presidential candidate by round of applause at the KMT’s national congress.
In her speech accepting the nomination, Hung criticized the DPP, saying that over the past seven years, it has chosen incessant nationalistic rhetoric and rumor-mongering over potential national development and the benefits of the people.
Juan said that the DPP, despite the recent round of mud-slinging, continues to hope that January presidential and legislative elections would demonstrate a mature Taiwanese democracy and open the way to a new era of rational discourse on public issues and political culture.
“We however regret comments made by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), KMT Chairperson Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Hung [at the KMT national congress criticizing the DPP],” Juan said.
The comments show the KMT has not made any reflection toward its failure of governance over the past seven years, with the entirety of its discourse focused on emotion-laden attacks on the DPP and Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Juan said.
The comments demonstrate a lack of political grace expected of the ruling political party and its presidential candidate, and Hung’s comments are not on the political level needed to govern a nation, Juan added.
In related news, former KMT legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文), who withdrew from the KMT before it officially expelled him on Wednesday, yesterday posted an article on Facebook in support of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
The farcical show of solidarity at the KMT congress in an attempt to stump for “a presidential candidate with no political achievements and who cannot even persuade themselves or their supporters” put all 1,600 KMT representatives in a difficult position, Chang said.
Hung has always had little regard for Wang, so he was not surprised that Wang would refuse Hung’s request to be her campaign manager after Hung said that if Wang wanted to continue to be a presence in the legislature, he should return to his constituency and run for district seat, Chang said.
Wang serves as a legislator-at-large for the KMT.
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