In his concession speech, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) followed a KMT custom and announced his decision to step down as party chairman as a way of taking responsibility for the party’s devastating loss in Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections.
Chu pledged to re-examine the direction of the KMT’s policies, selection of personnel and failure to grasp the pulse of public opinion, but stopped short of apologizing for any specific policies implemented by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration in his two terms.
Chu’s resignation alone did not amount to an acknowledgement of failure on his part or of the mistakes made by Ma and the KMT; it was a formality that neither suggested repentance nor a determination to push for party reform.
According to the KMT charter, Chu can seek re-election as chairman as long as he follows procedures by stepping down and allowing one of the party’s vice chairmen to serve as interim chairman.
The election for a new party leader must be held within three months of his resignation.
However, it would mean more to voters if Chu had stepped down as New Taipei City mayor, the job he is expected to return to after a three-month leave of absence.
Given that the KMT managed to hold onto only two of the 10 legislative seats representing New Taipei City that it held, Chu should step aside to allow for the election of a new mayor who could better represent the “new opinion” of the city’s residents.
Meanwhile, the evasive attitude of KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) at a post-election news conference late on Saturday at the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei reflected the party’s long-standing unwillingness to reflect on its mistakes.
When asked what could have contributed to the KMT’s defeat and whether the party would consider revising its cross-strait policies, Lee said that the party would take into account all possible factors and publish a self-reflection in the next few months.
Pressed by reporters, he acknowledged that the controversy surrounding Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜) — the Taiwanese member of the South Korean pop group TWICE — could have contributed to the KMT’s losses.
A video of Chou’s apology — published on the eve of the elections — for briefly holding a Republic of China flag during a South Korean TV show triggered widespread anger in Taiwan, with many people blasting Ma’s “one China, with different interpretations” framework as a self-deceiving illusion.
Ma’s apology, in a video also released on Friday, for the public discontent caused by what he said were the “the timing and manner” in which some of his policies were implemented, also reeked of impenitence.
The party’s reluctance to acknowledge its mistakes is going to make it more difficult for it to pick itself up from Saturday’s disaster, particularly after losing 3 million votes and 29 legislative seats compared with the 2012 elections.
The only reason the DPP was able to win the presidential election — and win an unprecedented majority in the legislature — after sustaining a similarly disastrous defeat eight years ago is because it has endeavored to learn from former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) mistakes.
It also managed to persuade many of its older members to take a backseat to younger ones and strove hard to be more in-sync with public opinion.
However, given rumors that the KMT chairmanship is likely to be filled by one of the party’s old guard, such as Ma, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) or Chu, any hopes the KMT might have of returning to power four years from now are likely to be just a pipe dream.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
RSS