Ma Announces Push for Reforms within KMT

 Ma Announces Push for Reforms within KMT

Sources: All Taipei newspapers

Apr. 16 2014

President Ma Ying-jeou, who doubles as KMT chairman, announced yesterday his determination to implement major reforms within the party. KMT Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) was ordered to propose reform plans concerning the party's organization, policy publicity, and new media within two weeks.

Ma Ying-jeou stated that it was a critical moment for the KMT, so everyone within the KMT should face the problem and reflect deeply, adding "even I myself must engage in soul-searching."

As the Taipei District Court, the court of the first instance, handed down a ruling on March 19 in favor of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) in the trial of his lawsuit against the KMT's decision to revoke his party membership in September 2013, Ma stated that the KMT decided to appeal the verdict on the advice of its attorneys, adding that this was a decision that had to be made in consideration of safeguarding the party's evaluation and discipline, and the long-term operations of the party, not focused on Speaker Wang himself.

Chairman Ma also asked his comrades, from the party central to local chapters, including city mayors and county executives elected on KMT tickets, to establish a platform for closer and quicker interactions, while coalescing with the party's younger generations in bracing the hard times as well.

Ma also pointed out that the continuity of cross-Strait exchanges as well as the ratification of cross-Strait Services Trade Agreement (STA) were the KMT's important policies and the right path, stressing that if negotiations on the cross-Strait STA had to be reopened, it would make much more difficult for Taiwan to accede to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which was a trend in international politics that all experts recognized. For Taiwan's future development, the ruling and opposition parties should transcend their narrow party interests, jointly face the nation's challenges going forward, and break through the nation's impasse in international economics and trade, Chairman Ma concluded.    

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