Academics attending a forum in Taipei yesterday attributed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) electoral defeats in 2014 and last year to its attempt to become Taiwan-centric, while some blamed them on KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) abandonment of the so-called “1992 consensus.”
At a forum held by the Taiwan Local Cultural Youth Association on the factors behind the KMT’s dwindling popularity Taiwan Competitiveness Forum director-general Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) said the KMT’s root problems began when former president and party chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) sought to turn the KMT into the “Taiwanese nationalist party” and tainted the party with “black gold” politics.
The association was founded by a group of young pan-blue supporters last year.
“That the KMT still suffered electoral defeats after having followed the ‘Taiwanese nationalist party’ direction suggests it is a dead end,” Pang said, adding the KMT’s future would be dire if it continues to cling to the naive idea that being a Taiwan-centric party would help it gain the support of swing voters.
Chinese Culture University college of social science dean Chao Chien-min (趙建民) criticized Hung for giving away the KMT’s “golden key” in dealing with cross-strait ties to her opponent, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who has been leaning toward the middle ground.
Chao said maintaining the cross-strait “status quo,” as well as adherence to the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, the “1992 consensus,” and the “one China, with different interpretations” framework used to be the pillars of the KMT’s cross-strait policy.
“Most of us were already not satisfied with the ‘1992 consensus,’ but at least it is the only golden key that could be used to handle cross-strait ties at the moment … but why would you [Hung] throw away the only key?” Chao said.
Chao was referring to some KMT members’ belief that Hung intends to replace the “one China, with different interpretations” aspect of the “1992 consensus” with the formula of “one China, same interpretation.”
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up the term in 2000.
KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who also attended the forum, said the party being out of sync with mainstream public opinion was the main reason for its two major electoral losses.
“The time when one person was allowed to call all the shots is over. We must tolerate diversity, listen to public opinion and give people what they need. Only by doing so can the KMT progress toward its long-term goal of regaining power,” Hau said.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
RSS