BY ANY OTHER NAME:KMT members are considering dropping ‘China’ from the Party’s name as they assess how to appeal to younger voters amid internal splinter party conflict
Taipei Times
Date: Jan 22, 2016
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
New Party (新黨) member Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) yesterday called for the
Wang Ping-chung, right, who suggested that the New Party changes its name to “Chinese Nationalist Party,” on Wednesday points to a sign with the text “Chinese Nationalist Party.” Photo: Screen grab from Wang Ping-chung’s Facebook page
expulsion of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesperson Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) from the party over Yang’s recent criticism of the KMT, including a name change.
Wang also criticized a group of younger KMT members who founded the “Grassroots Cooperation Alliance” for speaking out for reforms in the party after the election, but failing to support the party when it needed it most.
Wang said that Yang had also quit his position as spokesperson during the Sunflower movement, but had resumed his position after the situation died down.
“If you keep running away in the face of danger and returning in times of peace, why would the party need you as a ‘spokesperson?’” Wang said.
Wang said Yang’s claims that the KMT needs to change its name from Chinese Nationalist Party to Nationalist Party, to dispose fully of its party assets and become a democratized party was insulting, particularly as Yang had, days before the election, claimed on Facebook that he was a “Taiwanese independence activist” as a response to the Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜) incident. [FULL STORY]
