In the wake of several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members’ withdrawals from the party, KMT leadership is reportedly planning disciplinary action against members who have spoken out against the party, sources in the KMT said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) in a speech on Wednesday last week said that he had no problem with members criticizing him or any specific policy, but he added that they should not smear the KMT.
“You can jump to another ship in pursuit of individual political interest, but please, do not vilify the KMT,” Chu said.
KMT Legislator Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟), who has been openly critical of many of the party’s policies on political TV talk shows, is believed to be among the members likely to face disciplinary measures.
Chi has provoked the ire of the KMT’s upper echelons by justifying the withdrawal of some members and the dissatisfaction felt by some with the party leadership, as well as his criticism of KMT presumptive presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) China policies, sources said.
Chi said that party leaders should reflect on their administrative failures and policy mistakes that led to the KMT’s decisive rout in the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 29 last year instead of “blaming people who speak the truth.”
Citing a poem by Southern Song Dynasty general Wen Tianxiang (文天祥), Chi compared himself with ancient Chinese historians who sacrificed their lives to expose the truth about regicides and murderous usurpers, saying that his criticism of the party derived from his love for the KMT, and that his personal career was nothing compared with the downfall of the century-old party.
Speaking on the potential punishment to be meted out by the party, Chi said the blame should be laid at the feet of the KMT leadership instead of members who have been unable to communicate with party leaders.
The KMT “cannot tell right from wrong” if it chooses to punish members who have spoken truthfully in public for the good of the party, he said, adding that he will not stop doing and saying what he considers to be right.
KMT Legislator Lu Chia-cheng (盧嘉辰) said that he would respect the party’s decision, but added that members should be allowed to freely express themselves, and the KMT should try to unite instead of disciplining those who disagree with leadership.
“Persuading members to stay is more meaningful than penalizing them,” Lu said.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said that, although members are free to speak against ill-advised policies, they should refrain from maligning the party.
Those who espouse different ideologies from the KMT’s should resign from the party in a peaceful manner and Chu should communicate with outgoing members to understand why they jumped ship, Lo said.
SCANDAL: There are still discussions over whether a ban from being coaches, referees or agents should be imposed on the players, the association said The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA), Taiwan’s basketball governing body, on Tuesday said that it has handed lifetime bans to 10 players accused of game-fixing and breaches of betting rules. In a statement on Tuesday, the CTBA said it has revoked the registration of nine former players from the semi-professional Super Basketball League’s (SBL) Yulon Lexgen Dinos and one from the Taiwan Beer Leopards of the professional T1 League. The nine former Dinos players are Ko Min-hao (柯旻豪), Chiu Chung-po (邱忠博), Chen Pin-chuan (陳品銓), Huang Hsuan-min (黃鉉閔), Wu Yu-jen (吳祐任), Chou Wei-chen (周暐宸), Yen Wen-tso (顏聞佐), Lee Chi-en (李其恩), and Senegalese center
It took director Chong Keat Aun (張吉安) nearly a decade to complete Snow in Midsummer (五月雪), a deft chronicle of Malaysia’s May 13 incident told through one woman’s search for her brother and father. Although only his second feature, it led the field at yesterday’s Golden Horse Awards with nine nominations. Chong said it had been a struggle to get people to share their memories of the intercommunal violence following the 1969 national election, known among the country’s ethnic Chinese community as “513.” “My father, for example, would shut the conversation down if my mother or grandma even mentioned the topic,” Chong said
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
NOT TOO LATE: Hou urged Ko to ‘think things over,’ adding that there were still 48 hours to change his mind, as the TPP picked up registration forms in Taipei Focusing on polling disputes between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) is not conducive toward collaboration, the campaign office manager of the TPP’s presidential candidate, Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), said yesterday. Vivian Huang’s (黃珊珊) comments came after New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the KMT’s presidential candidate, on Tuesday called for both sides to return to the table for further talks about forming a joint ticket for the election on Jan. 13. Hou had suggested that the parties each pick two experts to re-evaluate the polling results to determine who was favored to lead the ticket, and