《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Hau hints at KMT chairmanship run

By Abraham Gerber and Jake Chung / Staff reporter and staff writer

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin （郝龍斌） yesterday voiced an interest in running for the chairmanship of the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT）, while New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu （朱立倫） was said to be close to tossing his hat in the ring.

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Hau told reporters that he would consider running for the top KMT job if no suitable candidates stepped forward.

“The KMT’s massive defeat in the [Nov. 29] elections clearly demonstrated that we have not lived up to the public’s expectations,” Hau said. “The KMT absolutely has to reform if it is to rise from the ashes.”

If no one else stepped forward to take responsibility for reforming the party, he would “carefully consider” running, he said.

The 62-year-old Hau said party reform could be pushed forward by anyone with new ideas and a clear grasp of the issues society faces, regardless of the candidate’s age.

Asked by reporters about other possible candidates such as Chu and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng （王金平）, Hau said that they were both “excellent candidates.”

However, KMT members should respect Chu’s “willingness” to pursue the position, he said.

Asked about the possibility of Chu representing the KMT in the 2016 presidential election, Hau said he did not see a link between the chairmanship and the party’s presidential candidate. He would choose not to run for president in 2016 if he were elected KMT chairman on Jan. 17, Hau said.

Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Liao Cheng-ching （廖正井） told a news conference that he and others are collecting signatures for a petition for Chu to run for chairman.

Liao said he has collected 32 signatures so far from the KMT’s 65 lawmakers.

The relative peace between the New Taipei City government and the city council is a reflection of Chu’s strong negotiating skills and that he is willing to respect opposition voices, all qualities which conform to social expectations, Liao told a news conference.

Chu did not comment on the petition yesterday, but New Taipei City Government spokesman Lin Chieh-yu （林芥佑） said the mayor would make an announcement at an appropriate time.

Chu on Wednesday said that he wants to do more and talk less.

President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） resigned as KMT chairman to take responsibility for the party’s losses in the elections.

In related news, a report released on Wednesday on the party’s rout in the Nov. 29 elections seemed to put the blame on Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien （連勝文）.

The report listed six reasons for the party’s losses, and No. 4 was that the Taipei mayoral election had a spillover effect that negatively affected the KMT’s efforts in other cities and counties.（Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang and Lu Heng-chien）

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES