Certain Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators-at-large have seriously tested the party’s image and they could face disciplinary measures or have their nomination retroactively rescinded if their behavior proves to be harmful, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday at party headquarters in Taipei.
While Chiang did not say who his remarks were directed at, KMT Legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) has sparked controversy by saying that five recent Chinese flybys of Taiwan were “not provocative,” urging the Ministry of National Defense not to mislead the public.
Wu earlier this month requested classified Ministry of National Defense data and reportedly received a briefing by military officials in his office.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The data he requested reportedly included material on cyberdefense units at the Information and Electronic Warfare Command, and troop deployments of all three branches of the armed forces, as well as updates on combined service units and military operations.
The words, actions and performance of the KMT’s officials and legislators represent the the party’s brand and values, and are “directly connected” to the party’s image, Chiang said.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the KMT should fulfill its responsibility as an opposition party by working with the government on disease-prevention efforts, supervise the government “rationally” and stand with the public, he said.
“However, the political performance of some legislators-at-large has put the party’s image to the test once again,” he added.
Their performance has not only been criticized by rival parties and questioned by the public, but it has also disappointed supporters of the KMT, Chiang said.
During the party’s nomination process for its at-large candidates last year, all of the nominees signed letters promising that if elected, their words and actions would not harm the party’s image, he said.
The same letter stated that if the nominees were found to have done so, they would submit to disciplinary action and have their nominations revoked in accordance with the party’s regulations, he added.
The letter shows that “regarding the words, actions and quality of its legislators-at-large, the party has the power and duty to restrain and counsel,” Chiang said.
The KMT is at a “critical moment” in its reform efforts, and it can no longer afford for the trust of the public to be eroded, he said.
Chiang said he would ask the party’s reform committee to establish a set of rules for assessing KMT legislators and the results would be used to determine whether a legislator should lose their party membership.
Additional reporting by Sherry Hsiao
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai