Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday handed over the party’s reins to new KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who said the KMT would be a “united,” “connected” and “combative” party under his leadership.
Chiang, who took over as KMT chairman on March 9 last year, lost the position to Chu in a four-way race on Sept. 25 that also included Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) and former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) as candidates.
A handover ceremony was held at KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday morning, with former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and former KMT chairs Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) among the guests in attendance.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chu, who served as KMT chairman from January 2015 to January 2016, said the end of the party’s chairperson election marked “the beginning of unity and the beginning of the fight.”
He described himself as “head coach” of the party, and vowed to unite all KMT members and politicians.
“The premier established the Chinese Nationalist Party and led us in establishing the Republic of China,” Chu said, referring to Sun Yat-sen (孫中山).
“Every member of the KMT must always remember that we are all followers of the premier,” Chu said. “Our central idea is to defend the Republic of China. Our central idea is the premier’s lifelong effort to strive and work hard for our democracy and freedom.”
He emphasized a need to reconnect with KMT members with whom the party had lost contact and who he said might be disappointed or dissatisfied with the party.
This would be the first step in the KMT’s efforts toward unity, he added.
On cross-strait relations, Chu said that the KMT would restart a platform for cross-strait exchanges in accordance with the party’s charter and policy platform.
Allowing the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to create a more peaceful environment would be most beneficial to Taiwanese, he said.
The KMT must also connect with the international community, he said, listing as examples the US, Japan, the EU, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.
In a diverse society, the KMT must expand its reach, he said, adding that he hopes young people will join and change the KMT.
Chu said “we want everyone to work together” on an upcoming recall vote against Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟), two KMT-sponsored referendums to be held on Dec. 18, next year’s local elections, and the presidential and legislative elections in 2024.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
RSS