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DPP, KMT Criticized For At-Large Legislator Nominees
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No. 15, November 21, 2019 |
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DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai. The DPP at-large legislator nominations stirred infighting among factions within the party.
(Photo from: China Times) |
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President Tsai Intervenes In At-Large Legislator Nominations To Suppress Premier Su And Raise Yu
China Times, November 15, 2019
Last night, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) went through a marathon to discuss its at-large legislator nominees for the 2020 election. President Tsai intervened and mediated the party list at the official residence. The domineering Premier Su Tseng-chang ended in “fiasco”: the indigenous television host Tuhi Martukaw whom he supported and placed first was dropped from the list, replaced by Wu Yu-chin, who was originally ranked fifth. At the same time, his “block Yu” attempt failed, and instead, former Premier Yu Shyi-kun rose one place from the 8th. Except for the incomplete recruitment of Legislator Su Chen-ching, other factions scored total victory over the largest New Tide and Su factions of the DPP.
The DPP originally scheduled to hold the Central Executive Committee meeting to discuss and approve the list of legislator-at-large in the morning. However, because of the voluminous voices of the factions at the meeting, it was forced to take a break and continued at 4 PM.
Representatives of various factions, including the “Hai (Sea) faction” National Policy Advisor Hwang Cheng-kuo, “Tsai faction” Legislator Chen Min-wen, chair of President Tsai’s re-election campaign, Lin Hsi-yau, and DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai, went to the official residence at 2:30 PM. President Tsai joined the negotiation in person.
It is understood that the cause for the impasse was related to the 13th place originally reserved for Legislative Yuan Speaker Su Jia-chyuan to nominate. It was reported the “Tsai faction” demanded moving legislator Chuang Rui-hsiung place forward and enlisted Su Chen-ching (Su Jia-chyuan’s nephew) to run for Chuang’s constituency in Pingtung. It stunned many of the Executive Committee and they felt “too greedy”.
In addition, Premier Su has earlier complained that former Premier Yu was on the front of the list and schemed a “blocking Yu” plot. And yet, it turned out that the “Normal Country Association” faction (founded by Yu) questioned the No.1 indigenous Tuhi Martukaw (recommended by Premier Su) at last night’s meeting. Some people in the party interpreted it as the reaction of the unhappy “Normal Country Association” to Su’s “blocking Yu”
Sources say that the “Tsai faction” actively pushed for and hoped that the Central Executive Committee to recruit Legislator Su Chen-ching who could not be placed on the legislator-at-large list, for the constituency left by Chuang. However, it was unsuccessful due to resistance from Chairman Cho. The “Tsai faction” remains hopeful that the Central Executive Committee will at least make a resolution to support Su Chen-ching.
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20191115000579-260118?chdtv
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KMT Confirms “Most Embarassing” At-Large Legislator Nominees, Han: Falls Short Of People’s Expectations
United Daily News, November 16, 2019
Chairman Wu Nominated
The Kuomintang (KMT) list of at-large legislator nominees was pushed through waves of protests and doubts. KMT Chairman Wu Den-yi and retired Lieutenant General Wu Si-huai (so-called “two Wus”), both of whom triggered controversy, were nonetheless approved by the Central Committee. Only the 17th candidate on the draft party list, Chang Hsian-yao, who is former deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Committee, was eliminated. KMT presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu said that there is a large gap between the party list and the expectations of the people. The popular Tainan City Councilman and local party chief Hsieh Long-jie, who ranked 15th on the party list, has even threatened to withdraw from the nomination.
The KMT presented the first version of its at-large legislator nominees on November. 13. At that time, Han said that the list disappointed the people because the average age of the proposed nominees were quite high, and Chairman Wu put himself in a safe spot on the list. Han even said that he did not know some of the people on the list.
Han’s Response: KMT Must Reform Itself
Yesterday, the party list was confirmed. Han made a three-point response. First, there is a large gap between the party list and the expectations of the people. Second, the KMT must reform itself going forward. Finally, the KMT must vigorously cultivate young people. Han still appealed to supporters to vote for the KMT in the presidential and legislative elections.
Hsieh Threatened to Withdraw Nomination
The KMT Central Committee meeting adjusted the rank of Chairman Wu Den-yi from the original tenth place to the fourteenth place, and Hsieh Long-jie was also adjusted from the original eleventh to the fifteenth. Hsieh Long-jie said that many friends suggested that he might as well withdraw from the nomination. If KMT does rely on the Han camp to win the majority in the Legislative Yuan, “let me think for two days.” No matter whether he will be elected in the future or not, he will start to vie for the Party chairmanship on the election day, January 11 next year so as not to let the people think that the KMT is too far away from the grassroots.
As for any backlash from Han campaign against the candidates list? Yeh Yuan-ze, a spokesperson for the Han election office, said that the list was indeed disturbing, but everyone had the same goal, hoping the Kuomintang would be better, and the Democratic Progressive Party would be removed from the government.
Che and Fan: More Non-Consent Than Consent Votes
The KMT held the Central Committee meeting yesterday and exercised the right of consent/non-consent to the list of 34 candidates for legislators-at-large.
Notwithstanding the bombardment inside and outside the meeting, the result of the vote removed only Chang Hsian-yao. Fan Cheng-lian, member of the KMT Central Standing Committee, and Che Yi-jing, wife of Ger Yong-guang, director-general of the China Youth Corps, garnered more non-consent tickets than consent tickets. Another candidate in dispute Wu Si-huai had only two consent tickets more than non-consent tickets, which was why it was called the "most embarrassing" candidates list.
After the former legislator Chiu Yi announced his withdrawal from the candidates list, the vacant place was to be filled by Chang. But in a Central Committee meeting to confirm the nominations, Chang received 106 non-consent and 57 consent tickets, and his nomination was hence nullified, and he became the first and only nominee to be rejected. As for Chairman Wu, although the ranking was adjusted to the 14th place, the Central Committee members still churned out 58 non-consent tickets versus 127 consent tickets.
It should be noted that Chang did not actively canvass for support, and even the meeting organizer, the KMT’s Organizational Development Committee, was not able to contact him before the meeting; and he failed to attend the meeting to express his political opinions before the vote. In this regard, Chang said that perhaps his nomination was pretty short-noticed, the KMT forgot to notify him, and that he did not know that he should have come to the meeting to express his political opinions. He would lodge a complaint with the party’s Central Committee for remedy.
Who will fill the vacancy after Chang is out? Cheng Mei-hua, director of the KMT Culture and Communications Committee, said that according to the regulations, the vacancy would be replenished in sequential order, and the party chairman would finalize it.
From: https://udn.com/news/story/11311/4169848
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Even A Well-Designed Democracy Has Turned Into A Graveyard Of Self-Interest
United Daily News Editorial, November 14, 2019
Political news coming out of Taiwan lately has carried with it a foul stench, as the Tsai administration continues to use our national treasury as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) re-election war chest, with which it has been funding all manner of subsidies and self-interested policies.
The list of legislator-at-large nominated by both the Kuomintang (KMT) and DPP announced yesterday further reeked of self-interest. The design of the system of legislator-at-large is to provide those of different social strata a channel to get into politics. Now it is being abused by political parties to reward loyalty and divide opposition. This includes James Soong’s fifth run for president as a candidate of the People First Party (PFP), a stale choice for the electorate.
Disregarding advice from both within and outside the party, KMT Chairman Wu Den-Yi has insisted on placing his name on the safe, 10th place on the party list (later moved to the 14th place), a gesture that exposes his selfishness and his indifference to the democratic process. His actions not only hurt the upcoming election for the blue camp, it smothers the excitement of the younger voters for change. The list did not invite social reformers with fresh ideas. It excludes also some of the incumbent members of the Legislative Yuan who have performed well as well as possibly some from Eric Chu’s camp.
The KMT’s proposed list only sought to settle the interests of various parties without considering the optics to the members of society broadly. This will not help in attracting and activating voters. A particularly troubling issue worth noting is that of the list’s gender requirement and how poorly the KMT chose to handle it. The list of candidates included whose only qualification was being married to a prominent husband. Candidates meeting the requirement are everywhere, yet the KMT failed to find any such accomplished women for inclusion. Is it a failure in the search or a failure of its values?
Let’s take a look now at the list from the DPP. Even though it saved a few seats for the younger candidates, the numbers are limited and seem to serve only as token inclusions. The list from the green camp has been designed to split up the spoils by factions and alienate those whose names have not been included. The nomination attracting the most talk has been the nominations of the Su family members of Ping Tong, a decision settled only the night before the nominations came out. The statement from Hung Heng-chu, wife of Legislative Yuan Speaker Su Jia-chyuan was, “I was so touched by the sincerity of the President Tsai over the phone.” This nomination guarantees Su a safe seat on the list. As for what price will be paid for his nephew Su Chen-ching—, we shall see what will happen next.
The main purpose of Chairman Wu putting his name in a secure position on the list was to strengthen his bid for speakership of the next Legislative Yuan. For that, the DPP has at least three nominees bidding against Wu for the post, namely Yu Shyi-kun, Su Jia-chyuan, and Ker Chien-ming. However, to take the seat of the speaker, the party has to win the majority of the Legislative Yuan. If neither major party wins the majority, they will have to work with the smaller parties to form a coalition. If the KMT and DPP are too self-centered and push voters to support the smaller parties, it could be a waste of time for all. The one who ends up in the speaker’s seat could be someone who does not have the full confidence of the fractured Legislative Yuan.
In 2008, our electoral system changed to “single-member district with two votes” to cut the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan to half with 113 seats, including 73 constituent districts, six seats for the indigenous population, and 34 seats for nationwide legislators-at-large. This move proved to be a mistake, limiting the function and representation of members. The design of legislator-at-large members was well intended, widening the avenue for participation in politics by professionals outside of the arena. Secondly, it expanded representation of traditionally disadvantaged groups. The third is to lend regional perspectives on national developments.
However, reviewing the nomination lists of both the blue and the green parties, both have drifted away from the original intent of this design. The KMT has failed to strengthen the bonds between the different social strata of society. On the other hand, the DPP has made it a mechanism for rewarding select factions and incumbent Legislative Yuan members. Both deviate from the original intent of the design. Worse still is the inclusion of the sympathetic smaller parties by the DPP and the former Chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party Fan Yun, a brazenly self-serving approach.
Now, to take a closer look at James Soong’s entry into the race. Although he claims to have been preparing for the past 44 years, he has stated also that he does not expect to win. This is not a compelling campaign. For any candidate to run and not seek to win is both sad and irresponsible. If Soong still believed that “heaven will reward those who work hard,” why then did Soong never consider passing the baton on in his 19 years as chairman? If he still holds any ideals to pass on, how can he bear to see the PFP get weaker by the year but not choose to push for reform and transformation? Is his entry into the presidential race only a sort of attempt to collect party subsidies?
Given the current political circus going on in Taiwan, we can only lament the sad state of affairs, observing how our once well-designed system of democracy has fallen into a sad state of self-interested chaos.
From: https://udn.com/news/story/7338/4163629
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KMT Chairman Wu Den-yi. The KMT at-large legislator nominations are a far cry from the expectations of the people.
(Photo from: The Storm Media) |
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KMT Chairman Truly Overboard
By Wang Chien-chung
United Daily News, November. 16, 2019
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih said to Taipei City Councilwoman Cathy Yu, "With my qualifications, would it be too much to run for president?" The sub-text of this phrase actually is, "With my qualifications, would it be too much for me to be on the safety list for legislator-at-large candidates?”
With Wu’s political experience, it certainly is enough for him to run for president, and even more so enough to be a legislature-at-large candidate. But the question is, if he ran for president, would he win? And is it really suitable to list him as a legislator-at-large?
He cannot be president but still wants a powerful role. This shows his unwillingness to accept the circumstances. And the fact that although he should not be listed as a legislator-at-large, but still insists in doing so, it shows his desire for power. His political qualifications can’t be compared to by most, same is his desire for power.
The KMT’s legislator-at-large list is solely decided by the party’s chairman. However, Wu not only does not avoid suspicion, he also puts himself in an extremely safe zone of the list, and continues to strongly defend himself for his reasoning in making this decision. This type of person is rare in KMT history, and guaranteed unprecedented in Taiwan’s political history
Wu’s supporters will say, the KMT will likely to become the majority party in the Legislative Yuan next year, they need a person like Wu to be the President of the Legislative Yuan. Even if KMT presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu did not win the election, having a strong person like Wu to opposite President Tsai Ing-wen will ensure that it will no longer be a one-party dictatorship.
But the question is, even if the KMT became the majority party, why Wu automatically be the speaker of the Legislative Yuan? Why isn’t Eric Chu? Is Hau Lung-pin not as qualified as Wu? Even Tseng Ming-chung, who is listed first on the legislator-at-large candidate list, why wouldn’t it be him? No matter how bad the KMT is, can it not suggest an even more suitable candidate that has as strong, or even better political resume as Wu? However, Wu thinks it’s his role without a doubt. Not only does he nominate himself as a legislator, but has also made the decision to make himself speaker of the Legislative Yuan. He is absolutely the only person in the history who dare to plot and do such kind of thing.
Wu’s love of power has been seen in previous instances. When the KMT held the party assemble in July this year, there originally was only one task, which was to decide the candidate for the presidential election. However, Wu added an extra agenda item, in which he decided to eradicate the regulation that president of the country will automatically assume the chairmanship of the KMT as stipulated in the party charter. Those who oppose the revision criticized Wu’s action was in fear of losing his chairman position to Han if Han became president. But Wu rebuts that the revision of the party charter is only a restoration of the party’s direct election system, and has nothing to do with himself.
But the problem is, is the revision of the party charter so urgent, that it has to be done in July? If it is not revised, will the KMT immediately become institutionally vacuum? There must be something sketchy to urgently achieve something which is not urgent. Wu’s plot can be easily penetrated by people with common sense. However, Wu insists to do so to guaranteed he will prevail in the possible future. No one can compare with Wu in terms of exhausting all political calculations to achieve distant objection.
The younger generation seems not to be a fan of the KMT. Han is also not favored by young voters, everyone knows it. Wu’s list however consists of people with an average age of 65. This clearly is disregarding the public opinion and completely self-sabotaging.
In addition, several highly controversial members in the pro-unification camp have been included in the initial list of Wu. Pro-unification is not wrong, but what is the consideration for the decision to place the controversial members in the pro-unification camp in the save zone and even within the top ten candidates of the list. What is the reasoning behind this? Is this not self-sabotage?
The list of legislator-at-large should not only demonstrate professionalism, but also be able to lift the image of the party. In the KMT’s list last time, there are at least candidates like Ko Chih-en, Wang Yu-min, and Hsu Yu-jen. However, Wu’s list lacks in both aspects. No wonder there are people asked: What was Wu thinking when he came up with this list?
The legislator-at-large list originally could have added bonus points for the party in the forthcoming elections. However, Wu’s list was not well received by the party and strongly criticized by the public. Is this type of chairman overboard? The answer is: Of course, extremely overboard!
From: https://udn.com/news/story/11321/4169843
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November 13: People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong announced his candidacy for president. This is the fifth time that Soong is running in a presidential election. Soong’s running mate is Yu Hsiang, advertising titan and former president of the United Advertising Company. Former Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said in a press conference a day earlier that because he was unable to secure nomination by the PFP, he has withdrawn from the 2020 presidential race.
November 14: The protests in Hong Kong have intensified, and several universities have become battlefields between protesters and police. The Hong Kong government announced that it would suspend classes starting November 14. Taiwanese and mainland Chinese students have fled from danger in Hong Kong. A majority of 1,021 Taiwanese students in Hong Kong have returned to Taiwan. The Ministry of Education is coordinating with schools like National Taiwan University (NTU), National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), and National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) to open up additional quota for Taiwanese students in Hong Kong to study for credit in Taiwan and prepare to transfer the following semester.
November 14: The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) approved the NT$70.1 billion (about US$2.3 billion) investment plan by Innolux Corporation, the world’s fourth largest producer of TFT-LCD panels. This is the largest case involving a Taiwanese business returning home. Innolux, a subsidiary of Foxconn, has in the past focused on the mainland Chinese market, and its move back to Taiwan has garnered much attention. Innolux plans to relocate its television assembly lines from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan and will invest in many cutting-edge technologies in Miaoli and Tainan.
November 15: The publicly-funded seasonal influenza vaccination program has begun. The first phase targets students and medical staff. Then beginning December 8, the elderly aged 65 and up and children are eligible to receive flu shots. This year, the publicly-funded vaccination program was upgraded to quadrivalent from trivalent, and a total of 6 million doses were procured. Affected by delays on the part of the World Health Organization (WHO), the delivery schedule of the influenza vaccinations has been postponed. Many people do not want to wait until December or next year, preferring instead to receive flu shots out of their own pocket.
November 17: President Tsai Ing-wen announced former Premier William Lai as her running mate in the 2020 presidential election. In March, Lai contested in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary but lost to Tsai. Notwithstanding wide speculation that the two fundamentally disagree, Tsai and Lai are joining forces to win the re-election bid, competing against the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Han Kuo-yu and Simon Chang and the People First Party’s (PFP) James Soong and Yu Hsiang in the presidential election on January 11, 2020.
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Taiwan Weekly is a newsletter released every week by Fair Winds Foundation, Taipei Forum, and Association of Foreign Relations that provides coverage and perspectives into the latest developments in Taiwan.
The conclusions and recommendations of any Taiwan Weekly article are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the institutions that publish the newsletter.
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