DISMISSING RUMORS:The PFP chairman said that reports of him meeting president-elect Tsai Ing-wen to discuss a new job in a top government position were not true
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 13, 2016
By: Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Saying that the teachings of Republic of China (ROC) “founding father” Sun
Yat-sen (孫逸仙) are the greatest assets of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP), PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday expressed disapproval of a proposal to remove Sun’s portraits from schools and other public buildings.
Soong, who founded the KMT splinter group after the 2000 presidential election, made the remarks yesterday on the sidelines of an event to remember Sun on the 91st anniversary of his death.
Soong was referring to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Gao Jyh-peng’s (高志鵬) proposal to abolish a legal requirement to hang a portrait of Sun in public buildings.
In a meeting with president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday, Soong said the DPP should recognize the ROC Constitution as a commonly held consensus in the nation and that Sun’s ideals were accepted on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“The teachings of Sun are the greatest spiritual legacy left to the KMT and the PFP, and both parties should not be too concerned with monetary gains,” Soong said yesterday, adding that while there must be a division between the national coffers and party assets, the DPP should prioritize promoting peace and harmony rather than settling old scores. [FULL STORY]