The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is planning to set up an “elite training class” to bring in more talent as the party prepares for the seven-in-one elections scheduled for 2014, party sources said.
The party has undergone a personnel reshuffle following its win in the Jan. 14 presidential election. Besides undertaking party reform, a major objective of the party is to launch a recruitment program as well as a training project for new talent, the sources said.
However, it had been rumored that several recruitment qualifications were set: Potential candidates had to be aged between 25 and 45, have a degree and not be descended from a political family.
The rumored requirements were said to have aroused anger among some party members, leading President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as party chairman, to dismiss the rumor, saying no such qualifications had ever been proposed, sources said.
The party has reportedly launched its recruitment scheme under the aegis of the “Chung-hsing [rejuvenation] Elite Group,” which was launched in 2004 by then-KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to offer training to newly recruited members.
The party’s Organizational Development Committee and the National Development Institute have been put in charge of the program, sources said. Sources said the number of trainees might exceed the previous 400 trained by the Chunghsing Elite Group.
Complaints have been filed over political families monopolizing grassroots level politics and blocking new talent from emerging, the sources said.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer
HOT-SPRING RETREAT: A hotel in Japan incurred a loss of about US$1,846 after a Taiwanese man failed to show up for his reservation due to a misunderstood message A Taiwanese man who failed to show up for a hotel reservation in Japan has apologized and offered compensation, the hotel said yesterday. The man, surnamed Lee (李), reserved a room at the Yufuin Tsubaki hot-spring hotel in Oita for the Lunar New Year holiday, but failed to show up on Friday. Lee yesterday called the hotel to apologize and offered to compensate the losses caused by his failure to show up, a hotel employee surnamed Yashiro said. Lee’s wife also called on Sunday to apologize, she said. Lee had booked a two-night stay with upscale seafood and beef meals, the hotel said. His
Two Taiwanese Americans were among those killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles (TECO LA) said it contacted local authorities, who confirmed that two of the 11 killed in the shooting were Taiwanese Americans. “TECO LA conveys our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and sends our prayers to the injured for a speedy recovery,” it said in a statement. The office said it is assisting the relatives of one of the victims to travel from
A senior US senator on Monday questioned the willingness of some US allies to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) expects the US and Japan to respond in a war in the Taiwan Strait, he was “a little less confident what our other allies would do,” US Senator John Cornyn said. Australia and New Zealand have voiced support for Taiwan, but it “is a far cry from committing troops to repel an invasion,” Cornyn said during a discussion on China, Russia and the state of US military readiness at a forum hosted
Whisky connoisseurs are a rapidly growing demographic in Taiwan, driving prices ever higher as collectors vie for the most coveted editions. Although not a new pastime, whisky collection has been picking up steam in recent years. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, Taiwan was the third-largest buyer of Scotch whisky in 2021 in monetary terms. One collector, surnamed Fu (傅), said there are many types of whisky that are ripe for collecting. One that has skyrocketed in price in recent years is the Macallan 12-year-old Gran Reserva, which bears a striking purple label, said Fu, who has more than 10 years of experience as
RSS