The perception that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) favors “quick unification” with China a week after its new chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) took office would make it difficult for party candidates to campaign in next year’s local elections, former KMT legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) said yesterday.
Chen’s comments came after Cheng on Saturday attended an event to honor people killed during the White Terror era, including Wu Shi (吳石), a lieutenant general who was the Ministry of National Defense’s deputy chief of the general staff and was executed after being convicted as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spy.
Former KMT legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) sarcastically said the party might as well change its name to the “Chinese Nationalist Surrender Party,” after the head of the party paid tribute to a spy who sought to overthrow the KMT government.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The controversy from Cheng’s participation in the memorial would likely persist through the 2028 legislative and presidential elections, making it difficult for KMT candidates, Chen said.
Before being elected chairwoman, Cheng said she would make Taiwanese proud to say they are Chinese, and in an interview said Beijing had no intention of turning Taiwan into another Hong Kong, he said.
Former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), whose political stance is more subtle than Cheng’s, was accused of being a “red unification” advocate, he said.
However, just one week into Cheng’s term, she has been labeled as promoting “rapid unification,” putting candidates in a tough position for next year’s elections, where success is crucial for the party’s survival, he added.
Her honeymoon period ended quickly, with every comment and public appearance she makes adding pressure on KMT candidates, he said.
Former KMT Youth Department deputy director Ting Yu (丁瑀) said the chairwoman should defend the Republic of China (ROC) at all times.
Calling Cheng’s comments and actions inappropriate, Ting said he was shocked and disappointed by her participation in a memorial service commemorating a “traitor” and her comments in an interview saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator.
Wu was accused of providing the CCP with critical information on the movements of ROC troops in China during the Chinese Civil War and other intelligence when he arrived in Taiwan with the then-KMT government, historical documents showed.
Attending a memorial event for Wu was an insult to the ROC, Ting said.
KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) said that Cheng clearly stated at the event that Wu was an intelligence operative, not a political victim and thus should not be commemorated.
The ROC continues to work toward social reconciliation, and ideological hatred undermines those efforts, as well as peace and human rights, he said.
As a major political party, the KMT has a responsibility to deepen democracy and prevent war, a value it upholds in participating in memorials for White Terror victims, Niu said.
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