Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), who was nominated by the party for a seat representing New Taipei City, yesterday dropped out of the legislative election and announced his support for People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) presidential bid.
Lee’s announcement came on the heels of Soong’s declaration of his presidential bid in the morning.
Lee said he has been thinking about Taiwan’s future since July 19, when the KMT nominated its presidential candidate at its national congress, adding that Soong is the only person who could put an end to the havoc the nation has been enduring in recent years and construct a “right path” for it.
Lee said he would “fight with Soong,” but added that he would still support the KMT’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) candidate if they meet the needs of local residents, “as that is also my obligation.”
Lee said he would not withdraw from the KMT, but would be “unruffled by whatever measure the party might take,” such as revoking his party membership, given his shift in allegiance to Soong.
Lee said there has been no official talk over whether he would join Soong’s campaign team, adding that he only made his support for Soong public to show that he identifies with the PFP leader’s ideas.
KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said she felt regret over Lee’s decision, adding that the party should work harder to make all of its members more confident.
According to the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper), former Taipei County deputy commissioner Tsai Chia-fu (蔡家福) and former Sinjhuang administrator Hsu Bing-kuen (許炳崑) are the two candidates who the KMT might field in Lee’s place.
Tsai said that he had heard about Lee’s reluctance to join the legislative race and would ask the party to find the most suitable candidate as soon as possible.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡), who is to run in the same constituency, released a statement expressing support for Lee and his decision.
Lee’s brother, former minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源), also vowed to assist Soong, saying it was Soong who introduced him to politics.
Asked if he would withdraw from the KMT, Lee Hong-yuan said that party membership is not an issue for him, as he does not plan to contest any election, “but if Soong asks me to be his running mate, I might have to think about [the party membership] issue.”
However, Soong has not talked to him about being a running mate, but if he asks, Lee Hong-yuan said he would definitely help out.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
RSS