Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Corruption hiding safe behind bad legislation

Wu Ching-Chin 吳景欽

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) has said that party leaders demanded that KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) and his campaign team — which Tsai headed — refrain from criticizing the Wei (魏) family of Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團).

This has lead to suspicions that the KMT has been soft on Ting Hsin as a result of the company’s support. The problem is that, when facing the possibility that top party figures have received illegal political donations, flaws in current legislation make it difficult to prove such suspicions and even more difficult for authorities to investigate them.

Rebuilding the nation is best type of reform

Lee Min-yung 李敏勇

The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) near collapse in last month’s nine-in-one elections attracted many suggestions for reform.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who still nurtures hopes of controlling the nation, was unable to block public anger and had to step down from his post as party chairman, even though the party charter had been changed to say that a KMT president should also be the party’s chairman.

Sunflower’s Chen would win Miaoli race, poll says

Taipei Times

Sunflower movement student leader Chen Wei-ting, center, who is expected to run for a legislative seat in the Miaoli County by-election in February, holds a placard with his name and birthplace written on it at an event in Greater Taichung yesterday.
Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei Times

A TVBS poll suggests that student activist Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) would defeat outgoing Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) for the vacancy in the legislature left by Miaoli County commissioner-elect Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌).

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is still considering its candidate, while Liu is a possible candidate representing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Fix KMT first, then Constitution

Paul Lin 林保華

New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) has announced his bid for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship. Since he is the only candidate, his election is certain. Chu’s proposal for constitutional change is progress of sorts compared with how President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is clinging to an outdated Constitution to protect himself.

Chu should be more focused on amending the KMT charter than the Constitution, because without a normalized political party, how would he be able to engage in a project as major as a constitutional amendment? Furthermore, given the problems with the party charter, there is no legitimacy behind Chu’s run for the chairmanship.

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