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.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS