A group of young Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members yesterday announced the formation of the “Grassroots Alliance” (草協聯盟), which aims to transform the party via a “guerrilla reformative project” that aims to address issues such as intra-party democracy.
The group includes KMT Youth League Secretary-General Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓), KMT International Information and Events Center director Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), KMT Youth League chief Hsiao Ching-yan (蕭敬嚴) and former league chief Lin Chia-hsing (林家興).
The group called on the party and its members to support the project, which has six aims: To establish intra-party democracy, encourage young people to participate in politics, reform party affairs, solve the party’s dilemma over its assets, and stimulate debates over the party’s cross-strait policies and its identity narrative.
Photo: CNA.
Those who intend to run for the party’s chairmanship should reveal their intentions and set out concrete policies detailing in which direction they would take the party, the group said, adding that at least one policy presentation event and one debate should be held before the election.
The requirement that candidates should have served on the party’s Central Committee should be scrapped, the group said.
“Five percent of county and city councilor candidates fielded by the party should be younger people,” the alliance said. “The party should also set up a reform committee to reflect on the causes of the party’s electoral rout and committee members should not be restricted to party members.”
“The party’s assets have become the KMT’s debt,” Lee said. “The party should, while maintaining current and retired party workers’ benefits, formulate clear principles to manage its assets that meet the public’s expectations.”
“Only when the party’s dilemma over its assets is dealt with definitively will the KMT behave like a normal party — counting every cent it spends,” Lee said.
With regard to the party’s identity, Hsiao said that as Taiwanese adhere to different ideologies and national identities, the party should hold a debate on the direction of its cross-strait policies and formulate a position that is suitable for Taiwanese as a whole.
“The party’s stance that the Republic of China is the nation’s core value and Taiwan its identity should be rethought,” he added.
Hsu called on young people who support the KMT to become members and exercise their rights to join party representative elections and reform the party.
“We are going to promote our reform ideas by making public speeches in the six special municipalities starting from next week, and we also plan to launch a signature drive to solicit more support,” Hsu said.
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