The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) decision yesterday to axe the party’s outspoken former spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) has drawn ire, with some interpreting the move as the beginning of the party’s shift toward a deep-blue ideology.
At its second meeting held to deliberate Yang’s case, the KMT’s Evaluation and Discipline Committee reached a consensus yesterday morning to accept a suggestion submitted by the local branch in Chiayi County to expel Yang from the party.
The decision is set to be referred to the KMT’s Central Standing Committee for final approval today.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Due to the political sensitivity of the case, the disciplinary committee decided to convene a second meeting after spending two-and-a-half hours discussing whether Yang should be expelled over his frequent critical remarks about the KMT during its first meeting on Friday last week.
Yang was initially invited by the disciplinary committee to defend himself in person at the second meeting, but he was unable to attend due to a prearranged plan to participate in summer camps held by the Taiwanese Association in the US. He is scheduled to return to Taiwan on July 11.
“Members of the Evaluation and Discipline Committee made the decision by a consensus vote,” KMT Culture and Communications Committee director Chow Chi-wai (周志偉) said.
Chow said the committee members deemed Yang to be in violation of Article 35 of the KMT charter for damaging the party’s reputation and infringing upon its interests through malicious attacks. They subsequently moved to expel him based on Article 36 of the party’s charter.
KMT regulations state that party members who are expelled or have their membership revoked cannot return to the party until a statutory period of six years or three years has elapsed respectively.
Yang, whose party membership was registered under the KMT’s Chiayi branch, resigned as party spokesman on Jan. 16 when the party lost the presidential and legislative elections.
Since his resignation, Yang has been forthright in his criticism of the party, such as over its controversial assets.
After learning of the disciplinary committee’s decision, Yang took to Facebook yesterday.
“I should engage in some self-reflection for my lack of effort to carry out the goals I set for myself when I first joined the KMT, which was to promote diversity and progress,” Yang wrote, pledging to continue to push for transitional justice, as well as political and social reforms.
However, Yang’s expulsion met with strong criticism from both inside and outside the KMT.
Former KMT Youth League secretary-general Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓) said on Facebook yesterday that while it appears that KMT headquarters have succeeded in expelling a “dissident,” the move would only end up turning the party into a “dissident” in the eyes of most Taiwanese.
“[Yang’s expulsion] serves as an official confirmation that under the leadership of KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) the party is destined to become deep blue or ultra-deep blue,” Lee said, adding that the key to the KMT’s attempts to regain the confidence of the public lay in it tolerating different opinions.
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said the KMT’s decision to expel Yang indicates that due to Hung’s “new direction,” the party has become extremely intolerant to any differing opinions and is on a mission to launch a purge.
Hsu said the next party member to face the same destiny could be KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), given the emergence of calls within the party to revoke Wang’s status as a legislator-at-large following rumors that the veteran politician could be tapped by the government to lead the Straits Exchange Foundation.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS