Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) yesterday confirmed the party plans for legislators-at-large to set up offices in southern Taiwan, a traditionally a pan-green stronghold.
However, the details have to be run by new KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) before anything would be implemented, Lin said.
Hung’s predecessor, Eric Chu (朱立倫), had planned to have some of the legislators-at-large be “backup candidates” for future county commissioner and mayoral elections.
Had Chu’s plan been implemented, the KMT could have developed a comparatively stronger presence in southern Taiwan, given former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and former lawmaker Huang Chao-shun’s (黃昭順) deep connections with Kaohsiung, former Taoyuan county commissioner John Wu’s (吳志揚) ties to Taoyuan, and former lawmakers Chang Li-shan’s (張麗善) and Hsu Chen-wei’s (徐榛蔚) strengths in Yunlin County and Hualien County respectively.
Chu planned for the legislators-at-large to “adopt” other constituencies in the south to help them carve out more prominent roles in local life, adding that the original plan was for Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) to “adopt” Pingtung County, while Chen Yi-min (陳宜民) and Hsu Yu-jen (許毓仁) would be in Kaohsiung.
Lin Li-chan (林麗蟬) would have been asked to establish a presence in Changhua County, Tseng Ming-tsung (曾銘宗) in Chiayi and Wang Yu-min (王育敏) in Chiayi County, party sources said.
The sources said that Lin Li-chan has opened an office in Changhua and Yuanlin Township (員林) to help the party extend its presence in southern Changhua County, while Chen has set up an office in Kaohsiung’s Fengshan District (鳳山).
Hsu said he has been told of “relevant plans,” but they are not finalized, adding that the party has only asked him to open an office in the area, but said nothing about helping in local elections.
Tseng said he has not received any word from the party about establishing an office in other counties.
Ko said she was asked to start an office and lay the groundwork to further the party’s presence in her hometown of Pingtung by former KMT secretary-general Li Shu-chuan (李四川).
However, she said that Pingtung County and Chiayi would be more difficult.
Ko said she was scheduled to meet with Hung, Hsu and Tseng this week, adding that KMT legislators would follow the party’s directives.
Other KMT members said Chu’s idea of having legislators seen as “backup candidates” for commissioners and mayors step down from the Legislative Yuan to run in the 2018 elections might not be followed to the letter.
Given the KMT’s landslide loss in January’s presidential and legislative elections, Hung might have difference ideas, the sources said.
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,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS