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KMT denies president
sought to weaken party elders
By Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday dismissed a cable recently
released by WikiLeaks that said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had attempted to
weaken the influence of party elders, saying that Ma, who doubles as KMT
chairman, has always respected the party’s heavyweights.
The cable, revealing conversations between then-KMT vice chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫)
and then-American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman Stephen Young in 2008 and
2009, quoted Chu as saying that Ma was not as naive as former KMT chairman Lien
Chan (連戰) in handling cross-strait relations, adding that Ma would not listen to
Lien’s advice on cross-strait policies.
The cable quoted Chu as telling Young that Ma resented People First Party (PFP)
Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) for trying to interfere with his cross-strait
policies despite being the leader of a small party with little influence.
Soon after Ma had assumed office in May 2008, he stepped up efforts at party
reform aimed at eliminating the influence of the “old guard,” including Lien,
former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng
(王金平), Chu was quoted as saying.
Chu’s remarks rekindled speculation about Ma’s reportedly problematic relations
with the older generation in the pan-blue camp, as Lien, Wu and Wang have
allegedly complained about Ma’s attempts to keep them out of the decisionmaking
process and weaken their roles within the party since he took over as KMT
chairman in 2005.
KMT spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) yesterday denied the accusations made in the
cable.
“President Ma has always showed the utmost respect to his predecessors in the
pan-blue camp and he often seeks their advice. The content of the cable is not
true,” she said.
Chu yesterday also denied making the comments during his meetings with Young in
2008 and 2009.
“Judging by basic knowledge and logic, it’s highly unlikely, impossible, that I
would say such things. It’s not the truth,” he said.
Chu said his meetings with Young were official visits or banquets during which
he had exchanged opinions with Young on various topics.
“We touched upon many issues during those meetings. I am not a man who gossips
and I cannot remember all the conversations we had four years ago, but it
appears that much of the content is a personal interpretation [of the
conversations],” he said.
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