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Ma refuses to
consider letting go of KMT helm
INTERNAL TENSIONS: Some prominent KMT members
called on the president to concentrate on his official duties, but a KMT
official said there was not a chance
By Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou speaks at
a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei
yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
yesterday dismissed calls from some KMT members for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)
to step down as party chairman amid the scandal surrounding former Executive
Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世).
“The KMT is a party with a party-state system, and there are a lot of things
that require communication and negotiation between the administrative branch and
the party. It is necessary for the president to lead the party,” KMT Culture and
Communication director Chuang Po-chung (莊伯仲) said.
Some KMT members have urged Ma to step down as KMT chairman and focus on his
presidential responsibilities after Lin, one of his favored officials, was
detained for allegedly accepting a NT$63 million (US$2.11 million) bribe from
Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥), head of Kaohsiung-based Ti Yung Co (地勇選礦公司), a
metal-recycling firm.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), who is also a KMT Central Standing Committee
member, questioned Ma’s choice of officials and urged him to focus on his
presidential duties.
“President Ma should leave party affairs to others. He should take the time to
re-examine his choice of personnel and stop trusting those with little talent.
More importantly, he should stop trusting people who only say good words to
him,” she said.
Calls for Ma to step down as KMT chairman were made earlier, amid a public
uproar over fuel and electricity price hikes in May, with some KMT Central
Standing Committee members expressing concern about Ma’s plummeting approval
ratings because of his policies and suggested that one of the party’s hopefuls
for the 2016 presidential election should take over as KMT chairman.
In a poll released by broadcaster TVBS yesterday, Ma’s approval rating dropped 5
percentage points from before the scandal to a record low of 15 percent, while
70 percent of respondents said they were not satisfied with his performance.
Ma served as KMT chairman from 2005 to 2007, but resigned after being indicted
for alleged misuse of his special allowance fund as Taipei mayor. He was elected
party chairman again in 2009 in an attempt to seek closer cooperation between
the KMT and the government.
Lin’s involvement in corruption allegations seriously damaged Ma’s reputation as
a politician with integrity. The president is having a hard time distancing
himself and his administration from Lin as he had endorsed Lin and entrusted him
with major posts in both the KMT and the government.
Chuang yesterday dismissed concerns about the KMT’s election outlook in southern
Taiwan after Lin, who has enjoyed solid support in Greater Kaohsiung, was
removed from the party, adding that the KMT would work harder to consolidate
voter support in central and southern areas.
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