The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has implemented organic changes in preparation for next year’s local elections that would see appointments made based on merit instead of favoritism, party sources said, adding that the changes would hopefully facilitate communication between local party chapters and party headquarters in Taipei.
Next year’s nine-in-one elections are to take place either on Nov. 24 or Dec. 1, pending a final decision by the Central Election Commission.
KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) is scheduled to tour all party chapters and local branches starting in January, party sources said.
Wu has authorized the party’s Organizational Development Committee to initiate the re-election of officials in party chapters at cities, counties, townships, villages and boroughs, the sources added.
The committee has been increasing the number of personnel in its social divisions, they said.
In addition to the party’s Aboriginals Committee, New Immigrants Committee, Hakka Affairs Committee and Educated Youths Committee, the KMT is establishing committees on agriculture, fisheries, religion, water resources, technology, labor and other issues, they said.
Each committee would essentially become an official party branch that would operate on a task-force-like basis, the sources said.
The party intends to hold bimonthly meetings with these branches, they added.
National Farmers’ Association director Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田) and Yunlin County Irrigation and Water Conservancy Association director Lin Wen-jui (林文瑞) have been tapped to chair the agricultural and water resource committees respectively, the sources said.
If the director-general and the president of the local farmers’ association are both KMT members, at least one would be appointed as a committee member to help facilitate communication between the party headquarters and local party chapters, sources said.
Should committee heads perform well, they would be eligible to be nominated by the party as legislators-at-large, the sources said, adding that the change is a departure from the favoritism employed by the party.
Wu is to visit each local party chapter and preside over the swearing in of party chapter heads, the sources said.
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