The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday announced that a former top aide to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would take over as party secretary-general.
The party confirmed that Ma had invited his former top aide and deputy city mayor, King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), to assist him with party affairs. King, currently a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, is expected to return to Taiwan later this month.
“We expect Mr King to bring more energy to the KMT and initiate bold and creative moves to help with party reform,” KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) said after the party’s Central Standing Committee (CSC) meeting.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏), who also doubles as KMT vice chairman, will continue to serve as vice chairman while assisting King with party affairs, Lee said.
King, 54, played a major role in Ma’s previous campaigns, helping him win the Taipei City mayoral elections in 1998 and 2001, and the presidential election last year.
King’s first major task would be the campaign for the special municipality elections next year.
Before the KMT confirmed King’s new position, King had dismissed a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News earlier yesterday that he would return to “save” Ma from plummeting popularity by taking on the position of Presidential Office secretary-general.
King said he would not be taking any position in the Presidential Office, when asked for comment in a phone interview with ETTV.
APOLOGY
Earlier yesterday, Ma apologized for the party’s poor performance in Saturday’s local government elections and promised to continue party reform and improve the overall environment.
“A large number of pan-blue supporters did not vote in the elections this year. This means we did not work hard enough and our performance had disappointed them. I want to apologize to our supporters as the party chairman,” Ma told the CSC meeting.
Ma also apologized for the behavior of the party’s candidate for Huwei Township, Yunlin County, Chen Chen-hui (陳振輝) who, inebriated and armed with a handgun, wounded the sister of his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival after losing the election.
The KMT took 12 of the 17 mayor and commissioner seats, while the DPP won four, and one went to an independent — a former KMT member.
The DPP increased its share of the overall vote to 45.9 percent, up from 38.2 percent four years ago, while taking back control of the hotly contested Yilan County after losing it to the KMT four years ago.
ECONOMY
Ma blamed the party’s disappointing performance on the “overall environment” and defended the Cabinet’s efforts to revive the economy and lower the unemployment rate.
“The Cabinet’s goal to establish policies in line with public expectations is correct, and we will strengthen our efforts in this direction,” he said.
Ma congratulated the DPP for its better-than-expected performance in the elections, saying he expected the two parties to resume normal relations and have a dialogue soon.
Several CSC members blamed the party’s worse-than-expected election performance on an ineffective Cabinet and called on Ma and the government to improve administrative performance.
“Apology is not the best way to solve the problem. I personally think that in order to attract public support, the government must improve administrative effectiveness,” CSC member Sean Lien (連勝文), son of former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) said.
“I am very disappointed at some government officials’ slow response, and I can imagine how disappointed the public was in the government,” he said.
KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) said the party should reflect on its performance and warned that voters would give the KMT another lesson in the next election if it failed to acknowledge its mistakes.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old