The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could face yet another crisis other than its dismal presidential campaign, as a group of pro-localization members are allegedly planning to form a splinter group to force KMT headquarters to respond directly to their calls for a change of candidate.
According to people familiar with the matter, the plan to establish a new party — which would be called the “Taiwan Nationalist Party Alliance” (台灣國民黨聯盟) — is spearheaded by several influential local members, including senior presidential adviser Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) and former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味).
Their primary goal is to compel the party’s leaders to take more proactive measures to address the KMT’s predicament in the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, the sources said, hinting at the removal of Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as the KMT’s presidential candidate.
If KMT headquarters fail to take action, they might inspire a bigger wave of defections than the one seen in previous months, they said.
The allegations come as Hung continues to be dogged by rumors that party leadership is planning to replace her as she trails in opinion polls.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) are rumored to be Hung’s likely replacements.
The Ministry of the Interior confirmed that it had received an application for the founding of a group known as the Taiwan Nationalist Party Alliance, but temporarily rejected it, pending clarification from the applicants on whether the alliance should be categorized as a “political group” or a “political party.”
However, when asked to comment on the matter, most KMT lawmakers either claimed they had no knowledge of the plan, or refused to comment on the issue.
KMT Legislator Chen Ken-te (陳根德) said he was unaware of the plan and refused to comment on a hypothetical question.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), upon hearing the words “Taiwan Nationalist Party Alliance,” said that he “cannot comment.”
KMT Legislator Lu Chia-chen (盧嘉辰) said he had little information about the plan, but urged party headquarters to face up to voices of discontent if they did exist.
“The KMT must defuse this crisis at once, rather than treating it lightly or turning a blind eye to the problem. We must not let the party collapse,” Lu said.
Hung dismissed the persistent rumors, saying on Sunday that she did not care since “everything is possible in an election season.”
“All that matters is that I make my values and principles known to the public, so that they can make the right choice,” the presidential candidate said.
She added that she was not worried about the KMT turning the rumors into reality.
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
Hungarian Member of Parliament Tompos Marton said he considers Taiwan to be a better alternative to China as a strategic partner. Marton, who is the vice president of the opposition Momentum Party, made the remarks in an interview with the Central News Agency on Sunday. He draped a Republic of China flag across his shoulders to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the capital city, Budapest, on Thursday last week, and openly voiced support for Taiwan on social media. He said in the interview that he wanted to remind the world that there were alternatives to China, and that “Taiwan has
A female physician at New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital was bullied and made to work for 32 consecutive hours by a senior colleague while pregnant before later having a miscarriage, an internal investigation found, the hospital said on Monday. The perpetrator has been removed from his post, the hospital said. The attending physician in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, identified by the pseudonym Y, earlier on Monday told reporters that she had been bullied by a male senior colleague who arranged shifts in her department. In January, shortly after she became pregnant, Y asked the department director if she could avoid overnight