Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) overseas representatives have launched a petition calling for KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to be expelled for “undermining the party’s reputation.”
The petition, which was initiated by seven overseas representatives on Aug. 1, is expected to be voted on at the party’s national congress on Sept. 4.
“The KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee reached a consensus to revoke Wang’s membership in 2013. However, due to political intervention in the judicial system, the due process for Wang’s expulsion was not completed,” the petition reads, adding that it is the representatives’ obligation to vote to expel Wang to maintain the party’s “normal function.”
The petition lists several reasons why the former legislative speaker deserves to be expelled, including his alleged meddling in a breach of trust lawsuit on behalf of Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in 2013, which it says tarnished the KMT’s reputation.
The representatives also criticized Wang for turning a blind eye to protesters who occupied the Legislative Yuan for almost 23 days in March and April 2014, which they said undermined the rule of law and the KMT’s image.
Wang’s decision as legislative speaker to form a cross-caucus negotiation mechanism with Ker while was also attacked.
The representatives said that action nullified the KMT’s advantage as the majority party in the legislature and impeded its efforts to pass many major bills.
Wang, whose 17-year run as legislative speaker ended in January, took the KMT to court in September 2013 after the KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee revoked his membership at the request of then-president and KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The Taipei District Court and the Taiwan High Court in 2014 ruled in favor of Wang, ruling that he should retain his membership and rights as a member.
In October 2014, Ma ordered the party to appeal the High Court’s ruling.
In February last year, Ma’s successor as chairman, Eric Chu (朱立倫), decided not to pursue the KMT’s suit against Wang.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director Chow Chi-wai (周志偉) yesterday said that procedural and substantive justice should be ensured in any proposal to expel party members or revoke their membership.
Even if the party congress votes in favor of the petition, the motion still has to go through a local branch’s disciplinary committee and then the Evaluation and Discipline Committee before being sent to the Central Standing Committee for approval.
“It is not up for the party congress to decide the fate of members that people like or do not like. That would just be tyranny of the majority,” Chow said.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor
RSS