Directly nominating Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) as the party’s candidate for next year’s Taipei mayoral election would “destroy” the 39-year-old politician, former KMT lawmaker Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) said yesterday.
The KMT is reportedly considering bypassing a primary to nominate Chiang, Sun said, citing a report by online news outlet SETN.com.
Chiang’s chances of representing the KMT in the Taipei mayoral election have improved markedly, and the KMT is considering conducting a telephone poll, which Chiang is most likely to win, instead of holding a primary to decide its candidate for the race, SETN reported, quoting political commentator Shang Yi-fu (尚毅夫).
The KMT has conducted an analysis using big data and found that Chiang is the most likely candidate to sway young voters who originally intend to vote for Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) if he seeks re-election.
“Chiang’s greatest advantage is his ability to win votes from women,” SETN quoted Shang as saying, alluding to Chiang’s good looks.
The scenario would thwart the plan of former KMT legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), who has expressed his desire to run again, the report said.
Ting lost to Sean Lien (連勝文), son of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), in the KMT primary in 2014.
“If this is true, I am worried for Chiang. People cheering him on like this would only get the opposite of what they set out to achieve,” Sun said on Facebook.
“If the KMT gives Chiang this comfort zone, as mentioned in the report, by granting him the candidacy without a primary, it would only destroy Chiang,” he said.
“The most commonly made criticism about the KMT is that it is rife with collusion between local factions and the wealthy elite,” he said.
“The cultivation of talent within the KMT has been largely focused on the offspring of politicians and local faction leaders... It is something young people would have a hard time identifying with,” Sun said.
Chiang is the great grandson of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
He said that some KMT heavyweights are used to “pushing buttons behind the scenes,” dictating candidates when they cannot win an election themselves.
He attributed the party’s reported plan to eschew a primary to an old boys’ network that discourages internal competition.
“Primaries offer KMT members an important opportunity to show their personality and elaborate on their ideals,” Sun said.
“Any KMT talent should enter the primary to expound on their vision and face potential challenges. No one should be dissuaded from running or tapped to run under the table, which are not only obsolete, but also disgusting,” he said.
“No wonder the KMT has not had aspiring talent for so many years,” he said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS