The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chairpersonship election has become even more competitive after former KMT legislator Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) yesterday became the sixth to join the race.
Pan, a six-term KMT legislator and a three-term Taipei city councilor, announced her candidacy at a news conference in Taipei, which was attended by her supporters and several KMT politicians, including former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), former acting KMT chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠) and KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏).
Former minister of transportation and communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時), who denied rumors he would enter the race, was also at the news conference.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“People asked me why I chose to step forward... I stepped forward because I believe only actual participation can allow changes to be made,” Pan said, adding that she did not think the competitiveness of the race would be detrimental to party solidarity.
Pan said that at a time when President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has destabilized society and caused cross-strait ties to deteriorate with its problematic policies, the KMT must help maintain checks and balances.
If elected, Pan said she plans to launch a reform movement within the KMT, as the party is losing supporters and facing its most dire predicament since its establishment.
She said she would also ensure that the KMT nominates candidates in all electoral districts in next year’s local polls, even in traditionally challenging ones.
Shrugging off speculation that her candidacy is aimed at jeopardizing KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) chances of winning, Pan said she had spoken to all senior party members — including Hung — before announcing her candidacy.
“My candidacy has been dogged by conspiracy theories ... but my main goal is simply to bring home all KMT members who have lost contact with the party. It [joining the election] was a decision made after thorough consideration,” Pan said.
The other five contenders in the May 20 election are Hung, KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), former KMT vice chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢) and former Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co general manager Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
Official candidacy registration is to begin on April 17 and each prospective candidate is required to collect the signatures of at least 3 percent of KMT members.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS