Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) is reportedly planning to expel former KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) and appoint former KMT legislators Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) and Chiu Yi (邱毅) to crucial party positions.
It was reported by Chinese-language magazine the Journalist that while Hung is prepared to make some compromises on her cross-strait stance, she plans to implement some controversial personnel changes.
The magazine said Hung would be a weak chairperson, considering that she was elected with the lowest percentage of votes obtained in a KMT chairperson election — with the lowest voter turnout rate.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The low turnout rate shows that many members are pessimistic about the party’s future, the article said, citing an anonymous high-level party official as saying that the apathy of party members is the greatest threat facing the KMT.
It might have looked like a landslide victory, as Hung had a 23 percentage-point advantage over the runner-up and won in all six special municipalities, but in truth Hung secured less than a quarter of the votes, the report said.
In places where the party’s “local” faction holds sway, such as Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties, Hung’s support lagged behind that of Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), who was considered a more “local” candidate.
The article cited sources as saying that Hung would not accentuate her pro-unification stance after inauguration in order to assuage the worries of the party’s “local” faction, and would continue President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait approach of the so-called “1992 consensus” and “one China, different interpretations.”
The “1992 consensus,” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
It remains in question whether Hung will have the KMT legislative caucus’ full support — with the caucus to elect its own caucus whip instead of accepting the party headquarters’ appointment.
The report said that Hung has decided to assign former KMT lawmakers to important party positions who are combative enough and have a positive enough public image to assist the party caucus in legislative battles.
The magazine quoted a KMT official as saying that a “combat intelligence center” has been established in which Wu Yu-sheng and Chiu Yi are prominent.
The center played a crucial role stoking the recent OBI Pharma Inc controversy when the party headquarters had its hands tied with a by-election, the report cited the official as saying.
The magazine cited another source as saying that Hung is unhappy with Yang, who has repeatedly criticized the party, and she is likely to expel Yang.
Yang yesterday said he has faith in the chairperson’s wisdom, but if he is expelled, he would not criticize the party in public.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is aware that Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong has weakened any possible sentiment for a “one country, two systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and has instructed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member Wang Huning (王滬寧) to develop new ways of defining cross-strait relations, Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A former professor of international politics at Fu Dan University, Wang is expected to develop a dialogue that could serve as the foundation for cross-strait unification, and Xi plans to use the framework to support a fourth term as president, Nikkei Asia quoted an anonymous source
LUCKY DATE: The man picked the 10th ‘Super Red Envelope’ in a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10 A man who recently broke up with his girlfriend won a NT$1 million (US$32,929) prize in the “NT$20 million Super Red Envelope” lottery after picking a card based on the date of their breakup, Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The man, in his 20s, bought the 10th ticket at a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10, the store owner told the lottery company. The “Super Red Envelope” lottery was a limited offering by the company during the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended yesterday. The cards, which cost NT$2,000 each, came with
TOURISM BOOST: The transportation system could help attract more visitors to the area, as the line is to connect multiple cultural sites, a city councilor said Residents in New Taipei City’s Ankeng District (安坑) said the local light rail system might have a positive influence, but raised questions about its practicality. The Ankeng light rail system, which is to commence operations after the Lunar New Year holiday, would cut travel time for commuters from Ankeng to downtown Taipei or New Taipei City by 15 to 20 minutes, the city government said. According to the initial plan, there would be one train every 15 minutes during peak time and additional interval trains would run between the densely populated Ankang Station (安康) and Shisizhang Station (十 四張). To encourage people to
CHAMPION TREES: The team used light detection and ranging imaging to locate the tree, and found that it measured a height of 84.1m and had a girth of 8.5m A team committed to finding the tallest trees in the nation yesterday said that an 84.1m tall Taiwania cryptomerioides tree had been named the tallest tree in Taiwan and East Asia. The Taiwan Champion Trees, a team consisting of researchers from the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), in June last year used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imaging to find the giant tree, numbered 55214, upstream of the Daan River (大安溪). A 20-member expedition team led by Rebecca Hsu (徐嘉君), an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, set out to find the