Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who on Monday evening announced his bid for KMT chairperson, yesterday said that the party must come to a new consensus on its cross-strait stance, as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “have collaborated to destroy” the Republic of China (ROC).
Hau stepped down along with former KMT chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) on Wednesday last week, following the party’s defeats in the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections. He launched his bid via Facebook on Monday.
Hau is the third person to commit to joining the KMT’s March 7 chairperson by-election, following National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) and Blue Sky Action Alliance convener Wu Chih-chang (武之璋).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
If elected chairman, he would be committed to helping the KMT overcome its “unprecedented crisis” and fostering young talent in the party, Hau wrote on Facebook.
To ensure the party is in touch with public opinion and to encourage more young members to participate, he would promote new regulations to guarantee the party’s elected officials meet certain quotas, and that there are members aged 40 and younger in the KMT Central Committee and Central Standing Committee, he said.
He would also promote internal dialogue to develop a cross-strait policy for the party, he said.
During an interview with radio station News98 yesterday, Hau said that one reason the KMT lost the elections was because “the DPP and CCP have collaborated to destroy the ROC.”
While the DPP rejects the “1992 consensus” and even interprets it as supporting Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula, the CCP refuses to acknowledge the existence of the ROC or the consensus’ perquisite of “one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what China means,” he said.
Although the “1992 consensus” worked well for both sides of the Strait from 2008 to 2016, currently “there is no consensus between the KMT and the CCP,” he said.
If the KMT cannot develop a new cross-strait policy that is acceptable to the public and the other side of the Taiwan Strait, “the KMT’s development would be limited,” he said.
Asked for comment, KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who has been described by some political watchers as a political star of the KMT’s middle generation, said he looks forward to the reform plans of any party member who is willing to shoulder the responsibility of party chairperson.
As a KMT member, he would seek to assist the party in the reforms that follow, he added.
Separately yesterday, KMT Central Committee member Sean Lien (連勝文) told Pop Radio that he has received 200 to 300 text messages from friends urging him to run for KMT chairperson.
However, even if he decides to launch a bid, as an individual he would not be able shoulder all responsibility for leading the KMT, he said.
The party needs collective leadership, he said, adding that, more importantly, members must avoid conflicts of interest.
Some members run for chairperson because they want to run for president and end up tearing the party apart, he said.
Many Central Standing Committee members spend their time fawning over the upper management with the hope of obtaining a legislator-at-large seat, he added.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei and Chen Yu-fu
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS