The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) National Congress yesterday unanimously passed a resolution nominating New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) as the party’s presidential candidate, amid concern that the party might replace him as he continues to lag in the polls.
“Democracy is not decided by the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP]. It is decided by the people. The ruling DPP should go if it is not doing a good job,” KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) told party delegates. “Today, more than 60 percent of Taiwanese support a change of the ruling party. Only through such a change can people live better lives.”
Seemingly addressing concerns over the nomination process, Chu said that Hou had been nominated based on party polling and a collective decision by KMT legislators, mayors, county commissioners and political candidates.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Winning the election not only requires the KMT to stand united, it also needs to build alliances with opposition parties, he added.
“We have come to a crucial moment in democracy and a crossroads of peace and war... Our party has encountered many difficulties and turbulence during the presidential campaign, but as long as we stand united and have a strong determination and will, nothing is impossible,” he said.
Chu characterized next year’s elections as a fight against a high crime rate, fraud and privilege created by pro-DPP politicians.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
“Hou is a civil servant, the embodiment of justice and an iron mayor. He is going to be ‘iron president’ next year. He will tackle injustice and political corruption by resuming the special investigator system so that we can have a fair and just country again,” he said.
Chu said that the DPP’s nomination of Vice President William Lai (賴清德) for president pushes Taiwan to the brink of war, as he is a vocal supporter of Taiwanese independence.
Prior to the congress, local media reported that some party delegates might use the opportunity to nominate a new KMT chairman and presidential candidate, replacing Chu and Hou. That did not transpire.
However, some delegates asked the party leadership to clarify its positions on cross-strait politics, while others, who are Taiwanese businesspeople working in China, proposed holding a parade opposing Taiwanese independence in October to show the KMT’s determination to remove the DPP from office.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who is widely viewed to be a presidential aspirant, wrote on Facebook that the public should “transcend the will of a political party,” adding that he “would play a role that would bring changes” to the country and “a new style to politics and the presidential election campaign.”
KMT Legislator Jessica Chen (陳玉珍), who attended the congress and is a supporter of Gou, said that the tycoon has not changed his position on politics.
“He [Gou] still wants peace across the Taiwan Strait, thinks there should be a change of the ruling party and stands with the people, so that the country can change for the better,” Chen said.
“Paying attention to public opinion is fundamental, and I hope all presidential candidates go to my district in Kinmen County to talk about their positions on cross-strait policies,” she said.
Asked whether she would persuade Gou not to run in the presidential election, Chen said she cannot dissuade anyone, but she believes that Gou would make the best decision for the country.
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
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
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
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS