Where is Chu heading?
The formal name of the KMT is the Chinese Nationalist People’s Party, more popularly known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. It was founded on Nov. 24, 1894, as the Revive China Society, then changed into the Tongmenghui (同盟會, “united league”), Kuomintang, Chinese Revolutionary Party and finally resurrected into the Kuomintang of China on Oct. 10, 1919, the moniker it has been known by to this day.
The KMT established one-party rule over China as the Republic of China (ROC), but due to corruption they were exiled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1949.
After escaping to Taiwan, the KMT continued its party-state government. Party leader Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was ROC president until he died in 1975, succeeded by his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國). Chiang Ching-kuo was party leader and president until his death in 1988. Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) then succeeded him as the party leader and president from 1988 to 2000.
From 2000 to 2004 Lien Chan (連戰) served as party chairman, followed by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from 2004 to 2014. Ma stepped down following the party’s defeat in last year’s Nov. 29 elections. Eric Chu (朱立倫) was then elected and sworn in as the new chairman of the KMT on Monday.
Chiang Kai-shek was the stubborn guy who brought the KMT to Taiwan, and he has been seen as a dictator, but one strongly against communism. His life-long dream was to retake China by using Taiwan as a stepping stone.
Chiang Ching-kuo realized that retaking China was a fantasy, so he set his mind on a long stay in Taiwan and launched his famous Ten Major Construction Projects (十大建設). Just before he passed away, he lifted the bans on newspapers and political parties in Taiwan.
Lee Teng-hui was born in Taiwan, so he tried his best to integrate the KMT into Taiwanese society. He earned the nickname of “Mr Democracy” by the reforming the ROC Constitution, dismantling the national assembly and moving to direct elections for president. However, in the end he was expelled from the party.
Lien Chan followed his father and grandfather in worshiping China. On April 26, 2005, he visited China for the first time as KMT chairman and was greeted as “Grandpa Lien” by Chinese children.
Ma did not get the chance to visit China as KMT chairman. However, even worse he turned around and opened the door to welcome Chinese into Taiwan. He carried on his father’s final wish to have Taiwan annexed by China.
New Taipei City Mayor and KMT Chairman Eric Chu delivered a speech at his inauguration saying that the party has to remain close to the people. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sent a letter of congratulation to Chu, where he expressed his wishes for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to stick to the so-called “1992 consensus” and for the party to oppose Taiwanese independence.
In reply, Chu praised the progress made in cross-strait relations over the past six years on the basis of the consensus and hoped that both sides could broaden exchanges to assist in the sustainable development of peace and prosperity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The KMT was known as a party of anti-communists. Now, they are closely allied with the communists. We have not heard the KMT leadership apologize to their followers. How many were killed for being suspected of spying for the communists? Their reputations should be rehabilitated.
Well, do we know where Chu is heading? Which people does he want the party to remain close to, the Chinese or Taiwanese? Does Chu dare to change the party’s name into the Taiwanese KMT? Which is the KMT’s home, Taiwan or China? Is the KMT still from China, or is it from Taiwan now?
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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