Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday dismissed concern over the presence of several KMT members at People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) recent events, describing them as “personal interactions,” while stressing that party members should support the party’s candidates.
“Many of the activities our party members attended were simply reunions between old acquaintances. For events like these, KMT members can either inform party headquarters of their plans beforehand or offer an explanation afterward,” Chu said.
The New Taipei City mayor said that what really mattered was a united party standing behind its candidates, adding that party regulations require that members support their own candidates.
Chu made the remarks one day after several KMT members, including legislative candidate Hsu Chih-jung (徐志榮), showed up at a Soong event in Miaoli County.
Hsu publicly urged voters to support the PFP chairman in the Jan. 16 presidential race.
Asked whether the KMT has plans to hold large-scale campaign events for Hung amid rumors that the party was to drop her and nominate someone else, Chu said it was not necessary at this stage.
“All of Hung’s recent campaign events, regardless of which cities or counties she visited, were promoted wholeheartedly by the party. At present, it is more important to make frequent trips at the grassroots level,” Chu said.
Chu also said before the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting that he hopes for “clean elections” when the party holds elections for the 32-member committee on Saturday.
Forty-two KMT members are competing for the posts that are to be held for two years, following an amendment to the party charter last year changing the term from one year.
Commenting on the recent stock market crash, Chu said the market has rebounded over the past two days after he discussed the matter with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) and Hung on Monday, and the Executive Yuan was instructed to take action.
“While Taiwan’s economic performance is vulnerable to the impact of the a global economic slowdown, it is vital that we endeavor to build up our economic strength,” Chu said, adding that the KMT would continue to fulfill its duties to the public for as long as the party is in power.
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