Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday defended the party’s decision to invite Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to speak at a forum today, saying that dialogue between groups with differing views should be encouraged.
Ko, who is chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), is set to attend a forum in Taipei hosted by the KMT-affiliated National Policy Foundation this morning, with topics to be discussed including low salaries, intergenerational justice and housing justice.
The event, titled “A Future That Cannot Be Afforded,” is the second in a three-part forum series organized by the foundation titled “Vision of Taiwan in 2030.”
Chiang, who is also expected to attend today’s discussion, yesterday wrote on Facebook that over the past few days some commentators have equated the KMT’s invitation of Ko with “cooperation” between the KMT and the TPP, and that he was not surprised by what he described as “people leaping to conclusions.”
“The true significance of forums is dialogue and discussion,” he wrote, adding that if a forum is to be thought-provoking, it is best for its speakers to represent different perspectives.
“Otherwise, if everyone agrees, the forum would not be a forum,” wrote Chiang, who is the chairman of the foundation.
Allowing different opinions to be discussed would help to reduce blind spots in policies, he wrote.
“There are often various political opinions in Taiwan, and I believe that the many different opinions within [the KMT] are a reminder of this reality,” Chiang wrote.
However, if Taiwan’s democracy is to progress, dialogue between different groups should be encouraged, Chiang wrote.
The possibility of people leaping to conclusions should not be a discouraging factor, he added.
KMT Taipei City Councilors Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) had raised doubts about Ko’s invitation to the forum, while foundation vice chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) was not informed of the decision to invite Ko and felt that it was inappropriate, reports said.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng
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