Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday formally regained his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) membership after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the party.
The Supreme Court made the decision after the KMT, which has been led by New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) since January, failed to submit a required document on the appointment of legal representatives.
Wang yesterday remained tight-lipped about whether he would run for president, dismissing media reports that he would register in the party’s presidential primary next week.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chu announced in February that the party would not pursue the lawsuit against Wang filed in September 2013, when President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was chairman.
Wang took the KMT to court in September 2013 after the party revoked his membership amid allegations that he tried to influence the judiciary to help an opposition legislator in a legal case.
The Taipei District Court and the Taiwan High Court ruled in favor of Wang in March and September last year, deciding that Wang would be able to retain his membership and rights as a KMT member. In October last year, Ma ordered the party to appeal the High Court’s ruling.
Separately yesterday, former minister of health Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) said he would focus his presidential campaign on livelihood issues, as he reiterated his intent to run in the KMT primary.
Yaung told an interview with the Broadcasting Corp of China that he would sign up for the primary on Friday next week.
In an interview with Top TV political commentary show Heavynews (重磅新聞2000立論分明) on Wednesday, Yaung said Taiwan needs socialism, which conformed with public interests and expectations.
However, the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are in the pockets of corporate giants and have often ignored his suggestions, Yaung said, adding that he has decided to attempt to change the state of affairs.
Yaung said party primary run is a protest against Ma administration and the current political system.
Yaung intends to bring the KMT to ruin so it will be reborn from the ashes, he said.
Social problems are prevalent, with Taiwanese children unable to attend public childcare and young adults either unable to afford housing or with all their money tied up in mortgages, Yaung said.
Talented members of the workforce avoid government jobs and instead look abroad for other employment, while younger people choose to work part-time in New Zealand or Australia instead of working in Taiwan, Yaung said.
None of the heavyweights in the KMT or the DPP is inclined to challenge such a situation, Yaung said.
On cross-strait relations, Yaung said that it was the “Emperor’s New Clothes,” adding that two or three decades ago, Taiwan was in a position to make its own decisions on being pro-independent or pro-unification.
Now, however, such ability is increasingly restricted by the growing military and economic capability of China, as well as pressure from the US, Yaung said, adding that such decisions could be made only if Taiwan becomes a strong and united nation.
Meanwhile, Yaung rejected an assertion that he had been directed to enter the primaries, saying that he wished only to be in a position to implement his own views.
Yaung also said he was not considering running as an independent, as suggested by former minister of health Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川).
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press