Johnny Chiang’s (江啟臣) position as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman might be in jeopardy, one KMT lawmaker has said, citing the KMT leader’s reforms, which have so far failed to gain traction among party members.
Since taking over the role on March 9, Chiang has faced a series of challenges — in particular, the June 9 recall of former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and nominating a candidate to represent the party in the resulting by-election.
The KMT eventually named Kaohsiung City Councilor Jane Lee (李眉蓁) as its candidate in the by-election, which is to be held on Aug. 15.
The chaotic nomination process has drawn criticism from Kaohsiung’s pan-blue camp, while party members serving locally have difficulty keeping abreast of decisions made by party management because of the distance between them, KMT Kaohsiung City Councilor Chiu Yu-hsuan (邱于軒) said.
Many party members fear that Lee might finish last in the by-election after the Taiwan People’s Party on Wednesday last week named Kaohsiung City Councilor Wu Yi-cheng (吳益政) as its candidate, KMT sources said.
The party fears that a “third force” in the by-election could have an outcome similar to the 2010 Kaohsiung mayoral election, where KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), the KMT’s candidate, secured only 20.52 percent of the votes, lower than her opponents, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Chu (陳菊) and independent candidate Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), they said.
Some political observers believe that the by-election could make or break members’ evaluation of Chiang’s performance as chairman, they added.
A KMT legislator familiar with party affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while the by-election is a challenge, the real “hot potato” for Chiang is the reform package that he has been pushing.
Members in the KMT legislative caucus who are closer to Chiang believe that former KMT chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) is the one responsible for Han’s recall and the tumultuous by-election preparations that ensued, the legislator said.
“Chiang has been doing the difficult work of cleaning up Wu’s messes, so Chiang shouldn’t be the one to take the blame if the by-election results are poor,” he added.
However, Chiang would be held responsible if the party reforms fail, he said, adding that the measures have caused inner-party rifts.
Among the reforms, one, proposed by a task force under the party’s reform committee, recommends “four new pillars” for reconstructing relations across the Taiwan Strait: upholding the Republic of China’s national sovereignty; safeguarding freedom, democracy and human rights; prioritizing the safety of Taiwan; and creating win-win cross-strait relations.
The reforms touch on two very sensitive issues for the party: cross-strait relations and organic changes within the party, the anonymous lawmaker said, adding that the two issues are “too broad in scope” and “involve too many stakeholders.”
Party members who dislike either one of the issues would oppose the reforms, which are presented as a package, making them highly likely to upset everybody in the end, he added.
Smooth communication between party management and rank-and-file members is crucial for striking a balance between members who support the reforms and those who do not, otherwise the road ahead will only be more difficult to tread, he said.
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