《TAIPEI TIMES》 KMT’s Chiayi speaker to run as independent

By Wang Shan-yan and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporters

Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Chiayi City Council Speaker Hsiao Shu-li （蕭淑麗） yesterday announced that she would run as an independent for the Chiayi mayoral post later this year, saying she did not trust the KMT’s poll-based primary.

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Hsiao said she forsook her supporters three years ago by not completing her bid for mayor and did not want to let history repeat itself.

“I hope my bid will not be determined by the party, but by public opinion,” Hsiao told a news conference in Chiayi, adding that a political party should be like-minded people jointly fighting for people’s happiness and best interests.

In March 2014, eight months before the local nine-in-one elections, Hsiao also said she would withdraw from the KMT and run as an independent candidate.

She dropped out of the race in July that year.

Hsiao rejoined the KMT in late 2014 after winning a city councilor seat as an independent.

Twu Shiing-jer （涂醒哲）, the Democratic Progressive Party candidate, won the mayoral post, defeating the KMT candidate, former National Youth Commission minister Chen Yi-chen （陳以真）, by only 8,590 votes.

Hsiao said she started mulling quitting the party again after former Chiayi mayor Huang Min-hui （黃敏惠） announced her bid for the mayoral post at an event also attended by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih （吳敦義） on Saturday last week.

“Such a coincidence has caused grievance among my supporters,” Hsiao said.

KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai （洪孟楷） said the party still hoped that all aspiring candidates could return to the party’s primary mechanism.

Asked whether Hsiao notified party headquarters before her announcement, Hung did not answer directly, but said only that the KMT has a good grasp of the situation.

At press time last night, the KMT’s local branch had yet to receive Hsiao’s application for membership withdrawal.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES