KMT Policy Committee executive director and party spokesman Alex Tsai (蔡正元) yesterday again attacked former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), comparing him with former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), who Tsai said “is a good example of a retired chairman who should be followed.”
Tsai said on Facebook that after Ma defeated then-legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) in the KMT’s 2005 chairmanship election, “he never consulted his predecessor Lien Chan on party or state affairs.”
“Lien never [after he retired as chair] publicly ‘presented his guidance’ to Ma,” Tsai added. “Nor did Lien ever gather a table of [KMT leaders] and openly ‘give directives’ to Ma. There was also no ‘Lien’s office’ that ever released statements instructing Ma how to do things.”
Analysts said that Tsai is needling Ma over his reiteration of the “one China, different interpretations” formula during a gathering of KMT leaders which included KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who has called for “one China,” without mentioning “different interpretations” saying it would “further” the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — 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.
Ma’s office has also issued press releases saying that the “1992 consensus” and “one China, different interpretations” represent both a cross-strait consensus and consensus within Taiwan, and rebutted the claims of Tsai and Hung that “unification” is mentioned in the “1992 consensus.”
Tsai on Tuesday said there are four principles that form the core of the “1992 consensus,” and they are the “one China” principle, that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are seeking unification of the country, “one China, with different interpretations” and that political disputes should be suspended when practical affairs are being negotiated.
Ma’s office as of press time last night had not responded to Tsai’s Facebook post, but “clarified” that Ma would not be running for the chairmanship of the KMT, in contradiction with media reports that Ma was planning to bid for the position next year in order to replace Hung.
Additional Reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
RSS