In a bid to bolster a weakened KMT after its crushing defeat in the presidential election, dozens of academics affiliated with the party issued a statement yesterday urging James Soong
At a news conference held yesterday by senior KMT-affiliated university professors, the academics said they were disappointed with the KMT's "incredible failure" in Saturday's polls that ended the party's 54-year grip on power.
"We sincerely call on Soong to rejoin the party, because we don't want to see the DPP monopolize power, with two smaller parties, the KMT and Soong's new party, neutralizing each other," said Chang Ya-yun
"Forming a new party is both unrealistic and irresponsible. We have to reintegrate the KMT, because the party has to be a powerful opposition party and monitor the ruling DPP," Chang said.
Chang added that the the KMT should not simply vanish.
"Soong was a KMT member for decades and he should remain loyal to the party. He cannot become a traitor," said James Yang (
He said the KMT would be in a stronger position to stand up to the DPP if Soong returned to the KMT, rather than form a new party, as he has announced he would do.
Those attending the news conference also urged KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to step down today -- as he is expected to do -- and allow Lien Chan (
"Lee Teng-hui should resign and take responsibility for his mistaken policy-making, which caused the party's failure in the election," James Yang said.
Lien garnered just 23 percent of the vote, trailing a distant third behind Soong, who won 37 percent.
"The DPP's victory doesn't mean that all the current problems caused by `black gold' politics will be solved entirely."
'The `sunshine laws' (currently under legislative review) need cooperation between the DPP and KMT if they are to go through," Yang said.
He added that the party should strengthen itself by welcoming former members who left during the election.
A statement issued by the academics called for the new party chair to be elected in a direct vote by all KMT members.
"Why are KMT members abandoning the party? Because the party lacks a democratic mechanism," Yang said.
He said important party decisions were traditionally made by the chairman and that this had created a gap between high level leaders and the rank and file.
"Meetings held by the KMT Central Standing Committee consist of one person laying down the law. There's no democracy at all in the party," Yang said.
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POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s