Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said she would not withdraw from the KMT chairperson race, despite calls from a group of retired public servants for her to drop out and endorse former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強).
The Association of Retired Public Servants, Teachers, Military and Police of the Republic of China has been collecting signatures for a statement titled “Saving the KMT: Chairperson Hung’s unavoidable responsibility,” local media reports said.
The statement urges Hung to give up her re-election bid in favor of running in the 2020 legislative elections. It invites all chairperson candidates to undergo a “coordination process” to decide the winner instead of by vote in May.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The association recommends that Hu be tapped for the party’s top post and calls on former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), also a chairperson candidate, to run in the 2020 presidential election.
While the association had expected the May election to foster party solidarity, it is turning out to be “unimaginably cruel,” the statement said, adding that party members are asking why the KMT has not been able to improve its poll numbers despite the poor performance of the Democratic Progressive Party government.
The association openly supported Hung during the chairperson by-election in February last year, when she ran against then-acting chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), Taipei City Councilor Lee Hsin (李新) and KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖).
The main proponents of the statement are said to include former Examination Yuan secretary-general Lin Shui-chi (林水吉), former secretary general of the Huang Fu-hsing (黃復興) military veterans’ branch Hu Chu-sheng (胡筑生) and former chief secretary of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee Chen Rong-yang (陳榮洋).
Hung said in a radio interview that it was not possible for her to follow the group’s wishes.
She said those calling for her to quit were a “minority” within the association, as “there have been association members telling [her] that they were upset about the statement because it was not collectively discussed.”
When asked about her cross-strait policy, Hung reiterated that she has not proposed scrapping the latter half of the “one China with different interpretations” doctrine, the KMT’s orthodox stance on cross-strait relations.
“‘One China, different interpretations’ is included in the ‘1992 consensus,’” she said.
When asked to explain why she is promoting “one China, same interpretation” if she is not against “one China, different interpretations,” Hung said she meant that “in the future, following cross-strait negotiations, both sides could walk on a path that both jointly agree to take.”
Hung said she looks forward to a civil and democratic competition and is not worried about a possible overlap between her voter base and that of former KMT legislator Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛), who earlier this week said that she has been encouraged to run and is giving it serious thought.
With her family background, Pan — along with KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), son of former premier and army general Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) — is said to have the potential to draw away votes for Hung from the Huang Fu-hsing branch.
“All candidates have some kind of voter base overlap,” Hung said.
If Pan joins the race, she would be the sixth aspirant, following Hung, Wu, Hau, former vice chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢) and former Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp president Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,