KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu says KMT must embrace younger generation

 KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu says KMT must embrace younger generation

                                                                                                                    January 18, 2016

Kuomintang presidential candidate Eric Chu said on January 17 the party must embrace the younger generation if it is to stage a comeback following its defeat in the presidential and parliament elections.

“If the KMT is to rise again, it must stand with all members of the new and younger generations, and must also cultivate more talented young people,” said Chu in a tea party held to express his appreciation for all volunteer workers helping him in the campaigning.

Accompanied by KMT vice presidential candidate Jennifer Wang, he asked the volunteers to invite more friends and supporters who love Taiwan to work for the interests of the Republic of China. “In the capacity of a loyal KMT member, I will join you in our efforts to achieve this,” he said, a day after he was defeated by his Democratic Progressive Party opponent Tsai Ing-wen. The KMT also lost substantially in the parliament elections held alongside the presidential poll on January 16.

Chu, who announced resignation as he conceded defeat to Tsai on January 16, asked supporters not to censure others, saying he was the sole person to blame. “I take full responsibility of the outcome,” he said, adding he thanked voters for giving him the chance to reflect. “We must get to the root cause so that we are able to head off all difficulties as well as all challenges and stage a comeback in the future,” Chu pledged.

In a news conference on January 16, KMT Secretary-general Lee Shu-chuan said the party was only able to garner 35 of the 113-seat parliament, including 24 district and 11 at-large seats.

Lee said after the KMT becomes the opposition party, it would do all it could to monitor the parliament and work for the well-being and interests of the nation, society and people.

Lee said there are many causes for the KMT’s electoral setback, and the party will discuss the causes one by one and propose remedies for the new KMT chairman and legislators for improvement in the future.

He said the impact of the incident about Taiwanese teenager singer Chou Tzu-yu -- made public on the eve of the election -- could be one of the reasons why the party was defeated. The 16-year-old girl was forced by her entertainment agency in South Korea to apologize to the public for waving a Republic of China national flag in an online show aired in November.

Lee said the KMT is expected to elect a new chairman in three months and before that, one of its existing vice chairman would serve as acting chairman. He said both he and all the KMT vice chairmen will also quit after the election of a new chairman in line with the KMT regulation.

In his concession speech on January 16, Chu apologized to supporters for losing the race.

“Eric Chu disappointed you. We have failed. The KMT lost the elections. We have not worked hard enough and we have failed the expectations of all voters. We have failed to shoulder the responsibility of the Republic of China,” Chu said as he led a group of senior KMT officials to offer a deep bow of gratitude to supporters at his campaign headquarters in Taipei.

“As chairman of the party and its presidential candidate, I cannot shift the blame to others and I must take full responsibility” for the defeat, Chu said before announcing his resignation as the KMT chair for self reflection.

He congratulated Tsai for winning the race, saying it was the choice of Taiwanese public and their expectations for both Tsai and the DPP to lead the Republic of China, and Taiwan to happiness and better future.

He told supporters the KMT must learn the lesson of the party’s worst electoral defeat in history. “In addition to self reflection, I must also find out the message voters sent to us through their ballots,” Chu said, adding in the future, the KMT must also play the role of check and balance after becoming the opposition party in Taiwan.

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