KMT heavyweights call for party unity

KMT heavyweights call for party unity

 

President Ying-jeou Ma (馬英九) yesterday renewed his pledge to reform the party and defended a controversial change to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) charter to make a KMT head of state automatically party chairman to enhance party-state cooperation at the KMT’s 19th national congress in Greater Taichung.

 

“I ran for KMT chairman twice over the past four years to deepen party reform and unity… The new system will enhance close cooperation between the party and the government, and I will be cooperative even it means my chairmanship will be cut short in one-and-a-half years,” he told the convention.

 

Delegates later applauded the proposal in the discussion session, despite some opposition from those who said the measure would enable President Ma to avoid his responsibility if the party suffered electoral defeat next year and it ensures President Ma’s party chairmanship until 2016 regardless of the KMT’s performance in the municipal seven-in-one elections next year and the 2016 presidential election.

 

As President Ma was formally sworn in as party chairman following his re-election in July, he called for party unity and vowed to lead the KMT forward, while defending his efforts to secure more success in future elections.

 

“The seven-in-old local elections will be a crucial moment for the people to examine the KMT. To obtain an electoral victory next year, we need unity and support from all party members,” he said.

 

The KMT congress, postponed since September due to fears of large-scale protests, was held at the Taichung Stadium in Greater Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲).

 

Tight security at the congress did not stop protestors from gathering outside the venue starting at 6am, throwing shoes and chanting protests against President Ma and the party.

 

President Ma described the protests as a norm in the democratic society, and promised to address public discontent and enhance communication with Taiwanese.

 

“We need to communicate with the people and improve our performance… We did pay attention to the people who voiced their concerns [outside the venue], and we will address the issues they raised,” he said.

 

Presenting six promises to the public, President Ma pledged to focus the government’s efforts to improve food safety, residential justice, establish a nursing system for the elderly and boost rural development, cultural creativity and regional economy.

 

Amid the latest food scare involving cooking oils, President Ma said the government will establish a food safety fund to increase manpower and allocate funds to enhance food safety while handing down severe punishment to food producers who break the law.

 

“The penalties given to those who receive illicit gains will have no limits,” he said.

 

Party unity is a major issue for the KMT amid the unresolved disputes between President Ma and Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang’s (王金平) over allegations that he was involved in improper lobbying, as party heavyweights and delegates called for reconciliation.

 

Speaking at the congress, former KMT chairman Poh-hsiung Wu (吳伯雄) urged party leaders to handle issues with more kindness and wisdom given the public discontentment with the government.

 

He teared up as blamed the media for finding fault with the KMT, and called for party unity to meet public expectations.

 

“The public still has high expectations of the KMT. We are a kind and righteous party, and are not good at political wrangling… Taiwan needs us and we cannot let the public down,” he said.

 

Wu’s speech was received by loud applause from party delegates, and both President Ma and Wang greeted him as he stepped down from the podium.

 

Wu later dismissed speculation that he was referring to the president in his speech, adding that maintaining party unity is a collective effort.

 

In an effort to create a sense of reconciliation, President Ma, Wang and other party heavyweights, including Vice President Den-yih Wu (吳敦義) and Premier Yih-huah Jiang (江宜樺), were seated side by side at the event.

 

At the congress’ concluding session, President Ma expressed his gratitude to Poh-hsiung Wu for boosting party morale with his speech and promised to consolidate the KMT.

 

“The KMT must push forward with its internal reform drive and only by standing united can we continue to be in power,” President Ma said.

 

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said President Ma’s remarks at the conference, about how he “has heard the people’s voice” were insufficient because what he needs to do is take action to solve the public’s grievances.

 

“Saying: ‘I’ve heard you’ and ‘I understand what you are saying’ is not good enough,” DPP spokesperson Ming-shen Wang (王閔生) said.

 

“The administration needs to face the issues at hand, such as the sluggish economy, rising commodity prices, the deteriorating human rights situation and the food safety crisis with honesty and present solutions to these problems,” he added.

 

Changing the time and location of the KMT congress and deploying thousands of police officers are not going to ease public discontent, the DPP spokesperson said.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 11 Monday November 2013 The Roman)

 

 

Mislabeled vinegars add to widening food scandal

Mislabeled vinegars add to widening food scandal

 

SOUR TASTE: The latest blow to the food industry was dealt when authorities found 13 of 16 vinegars inspected were mislabeled, and follows a scare over adulterated oils

 

A recent food safety inspection has revealed that more than 80 percent of vinegars are falsely labeled, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.

 

The inspection randomly sampled 16 vinegar products sold at supermarkets and hypermarkets were, with 13 found to be incorrectly labeled.

 

The Taipei City Department of Health said that falsely labeling food is a violation of the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法), which stipulates a fine of up to NT$3 million (US$100,000) for manufacturers caught mislabeling their products.

 

Taipei Food and Drug Division Director Hsiu-yi Chiu (邱秀儀) said that the 13 vinegars that failed to meet regulations bore labels that did not list all their ingredients or an expiration date.

 

Red wine and spicy vinegar from Ta An Kong Yen Foods Co (大安工研食品公司), Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp’s (台灣菸酒公司) rice vinegar and Carrefour-brand white vinegar were among the products found to have violated regulations and the three manufacturers will be instructed to change the labels, Chiu said.

 

None of the 16 vinegars tested had been adulterated with illicit substances, she added.

 

The inspection was conducted in the wake of a food safety scandal that broke when it was found that many edible oils had been either adulterated or falsely advertised.

 

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has vowed to enhance food inspection mechanisms and amend the act to deter illegal behavior in the manufacturing and advertising of food products.

 

Another measure the ministry is mulling to improve food safety is lowering the labeling threshold of genetically modified raw materials contained in food products from 5 percent to 0.9 percent.

 

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Kui-fang  Li Ken (厲耿桂芳) said the health department had investigated 325 cases of false food product labeling over the past five years, for which NT$10 million in fines have been levied.

 

Such cases have become one of the nation’s biggest health problems — second only to exaggerated advertising of medicines and related products — so central and local authorities need to pay more attention to the issue and enhance safety mechanisms, she said.

 

The department said it would continue its efforts to improve inspections of major food items.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 6 Wednesday November 2013 The Roman)

 

Su calls for Huang to step down now

Su calls for Huang to step down now

 

Prosecutor-General Shih-ming Huang (黃世銘) should step down immediately following his indictment on charges of leaking classified information, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Tseng-chang Su (蘇貞昌) said yesterday, adding that President Ying-jeou Ma’s (馬英九) alleged intervention in judicial processes in violation of the Constitution should also be looked into once he leaves office.

 

Huang was indicted yesterday for allegedly leaking classified information to Ma by briefing the president on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 while an investigation into Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang’s (王金平) alleged improper lobbying was still ongoing.

 

Huang said yesterday that he will resign if he is convicted of leaking secrets in his first trial.

 

“Although prosecutor-general is a position guaranteed for a set term, Huang should step down, as he has lost all credibility and is no longer fit for the job,” Su told a press conference yesterday.

 

On Aug. 31, Huang allegedly revealed confidential information about a case still under investigation to the president at his residence Su said.

 

Ma not only failed to stop Huang from doing this, but had even used Premier Yi-huah Jiang (江宜樺) and then-presidential office deputy secretary-general Chih-chiang Lo (羅智強) to disseminate the information, Su added.

 

Lo held press conferences to spread the information and used it to seek to suppress Ma’s political enemies and cause a political incident, Su said.

 

“This was completely unacceptable,” the DPP chairman said.

 

Although Ma has immunity from criminal charges while president, the judiciary should press charges after he leaves office, Su said, adding that Jiang should also resign.

 

Separately yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Cheng-ching Liao (廖正井) also said that the Executive Yuan should immediately demand Huang’s resignation because his involvement in the case has led to the “loss of his credibility as leader” of the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

 

That the prosecutors at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office investigated the case regardless of Huang’s position was admirable, Liao added.

 

KMT Legislator Te-fu Lin (林德福) said Huang should contemplate resigning, but when asked whether Huang should tender his resignation, Lin stopped short of replying in the affirmative.

 

KMT Legislator Hsueh-chang Lu (呂學樟), on the other hand, said the indictment did not necessarily require Huang’s resignation or suspension because he should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 

However, the Ministry of Justice should refer the case to the Control Yuan to determine Huang’s administrative responsibility and Huang should definitely step down if he is charged with any wrongdoing by the Control Yuan, Lu said.

 

Deputy Legislative Speaker Hsiu-chu Hung (洪秀柱), of the KMT, said she expected Huang to decide wisely whether he should stay or go.

 

“As a person who studies law, he should be able to make a judicious decision,” Hung said.

 

When asked to comment, Wang offered a brief answer, saying only that he “believed in the judiciary and respected the judiciary.”

 

Separately, at the legislature’s question-and-answer session yesterday afternoon, Jiang, when asked by DPP Legislator Chih-wei Chiu (邱志偉) for comment, said nothing more than that he “respected the judiciary.”

 

Unhappy with the answer, Chiu said the premier should have spoken up for the prosecutors at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and rebutted Huan

 

Minister of Justice Ying-shay Lo (羅瑩雪) told Chiu that the ministry did not consider it necessary to suspend Huang at present.

 

“Huang has accused the prosecutors of bowing to pressure to indict him. As a premier and minister of justice, how can you have nothing to say about Huang damaging the credibility of the judiciary?” Chiu said.

 

Each of the two charges brought by the prosecutors against Huang under Article 132 of Criminal Code and Article 27 of the Communication Security and Surveillance Act (通訊保障及監察法) could lead to a maximum sentence of three years in prison, but for now Huang should not be suspended, Lo said.

 

KMT Legislator Yao-chang Hsu (徐耀昌) urged Jiang to ask Huang to tender his resignation, saying that he has become a “drag” on the administration.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 2 Saturday November 2013 The Roman)

 

KMT legislators break ranks on agenda

KMT legislators break ranks on agenda

 

DISAGREEMENT: The KMT still defeated proposals demanding Shih-ming Huang’s resignation and establishing a legislative commission to investigate illegal wiretaps

 

A number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday did not toe the party line during several rounds of votes to determine the agenda for the legislature’s plenary session on Tuesday.

 

However, that did not prevent the KMT from blocking proposals initiated by the opposition, including one demanding the resignation of Prosecutor-General Shih-ming Huang (黃世銘).

 

KMT Legislator Ken-te Chen (陳根德) voted in support of a motion proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) that Huang step down following recent controversies, including allegations of illegal wiretapping and his handling of a case involving the use of undue influence that has evolved into the current political turmoil.

 

The DPP and the TSU proposed that the motion be placed on Tuesday’s agenda, but they were outvoted by the KMT, which still came up with 54 votes from its 64 lawmakers.

 

In another DPP-TSU motion proposing that the legislature establish an investigation commission to probe alleged wiretapping of the legislature’s telephone line, three KMT lawmakers abstained — Ken-te Chen, Ming-tsai Lo (羅明才) and Hui-mei Wang (王惠美).

 

Nonetheless, the motion was defeated by a vote of 42 to 56.

 

The KMT also voted down other DPP-TSU motions that suggested the legislature deliberate a proposal to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), reverse power rate hikes and review amendments to the Labor Insurance Act (勞工保險條例) regarding operation of the Labor Insurance Fund.

 

The lawmakers did agree to include a DPP proposal that the legislature’s Discipline Committee investigate allegations of improper use of influence, in which DPP caucus whip Chien-ming Ker (柯建銘) was accused of asking Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang (王金平) to persuade prosecutors against appealing a not-guilty verdict in a breach-of-trust case.

 

Late last month, Ker took the initiative to ask that the committee investigate the allegations and that the committee hearings be made public, so he could clear his name.

 

Lawmakers also agreed to prioritize deliberations on a proposal addressing recent food scare incidents, ratification of an economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand and an amendment to the Foreign Trade Act (貿易法) related to the trade accord on Tuesday.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 26 Saturday October 2013 The Roman)

 

Legal battle with Wang to continue, KMT says

Legal battle with Wang to continue, KMT says

 

TOO LATE: Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang missed the deadline to appeal to the KMT to retain his party membership, so it will be resolved through legal means

 

[caption id="attachment_9429" align="alignnone" width="205"] (Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang leaves the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday after an opposition motion of no confidence in Premier Yi-huah Jiang Cabinet was voted down. (Photo: Jung-fong Chien, Taipei Times))[/caption]

 

While expressing regret over Legislative Speaker Jin-pyng Wang’s (王金平) decision not to lodge an appeal with the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Integrity Committee to retain his party membership, the party yesterday said its legal battle against Wang over his membership will continue.

 

Wang’s party membership was revoked by the KMT last month over his alleged improper lobbying for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Chien-ming Ker (柯建銘) in a legal matter.

 

While the party later softened its stance and urged him to appeal within its structures to retain his membership, he did not file an appeal by the deadline on Monday.

 

The KMT Culture and Communication Committee director Tai-chi Fan Chiang (范姜泰基) said to President Ying-jeou Ma (馬英九), who is also KMT chairman, and party heavyweights have called for Wang to resolve the issue by appealing to the party, and the KMT will respect his decision.

 

“Because the deadline for the party’s appeal procedures has passed, we will wait for the result of the lawsuit and resolve the issue through legal means,” he said.

 

The legal battle between Wang and the KMT began when Wang filed a provisional injunction with the Taipei District Court against the party’s decision to revoke his membership and therefore invalidate his legislator status.

 

The court ruled that Wang would be able to retain his membership and rights as a KMT member after submitting a guarantee of NT$9.38 million (US$315,000), to the KMT.

 

President Ma has urged Wang to contest the party’s decision through internal channels amid the legal battle.

 

Former KMT chairmen Chan Lien (連戰) and Poh-hsiung Wu (吳伯雄) also tried to persuade Wang to resolve the political strife by appealing to the party and promoting unity ahead of its party congress.

 

Wang said that although he knew the party was sincere in its efforts to reach out to him, he has not changed his mind about how he would resolve the issue.

 

The KMT is to invite all party delegates to attend the party congress, which is scheduled to be held next month in Greater Taichung.

 

Wang, a KMT legislator and delegate, will be on the invitation list, Fan Chiang said, dismissing previous suggestions that the party would exclude Wang from the event.

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 16 Wednesday October 2013 The Roman)

(Edited: R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 17 Thursday October 2013 The Roman)

 

KMT: Majority party in Taiwan, The Kingdom of Mandarin. Ruling party.

 

(R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 17 Thursday October 2013 The Roman)