DPP says KMT conspiring with China

‘GROUNDLESS CLAIMS’:
The KMT launched a smear campaign against the Cabinet to benefit itself and subvert Taiwan’s unity, DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao said

• By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members yesterday responded to accusations leveled at new Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), saying the KMT could be collaborating with China to undermine the government.

“The Chinese Nationalist Party is conspiring to instigate turmoil in our society. Its aim is to cover up its pandering to China. Some KMT members are planning to travel to Beijing to kowtow to Chinese leaders,” DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said.

KMT officials have over the past few days leveled personal attacks and “baseless” accusations against some new Cabinet members, Chang said.

“We suspect that the KMT is collaborating with the Chinese government to attack Cabinet figures and experts on cross-Strait issues,” he said.

The KMT has targeted Chen and insinuated that new Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) is unqualified for the job, Chang said.

“They launched numerous accusations to tarnish Chen, Liang and other new Cabinet members. We can see the KMT is conducting a smear campaign to vilify [the new Cabinet members] and insinuate wrongdoing on groundless claims,” he said.

“It is a political machination that serves the KMT’s own interests and aims to subvert Taiwan’s internal unity,” Chang said.

The KMT is “distorting the facts” by condemning the new Cabinet as being full of “failed candidates” from the local elections in November last year, he said.

“Some DPP candidates did not pass the threshold for voter support, but they are willing to stay in Taiwan to serve the public,” he added.

He contrasted them with KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), who Chang said is clinging to her seat out of self-interest, despite having been appointed as a Taipei deputy mayor, hampering the Taipei City Government’s functionality.

“The KMT in its ranks has a band of retired military generals who have visited China. They kowtowed to China’s leaders and surrendered Taiwan’s sovereignty to China. They are the most egregious group of those undermining the unity of Taiwanese,” Chang said.

“Eric Chu (朱立倫) as KMT chairman has shown his inability to rein in his party members. Also New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) is completely silent. So we ask: Has the KMT done anything good for Taiwan lately and what are its efforts to unify our nation?” he said.

Many know that the retired generals in the KMT’s ranks are “advocates for surrendering to China,” including KMT Legislator-at-large Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), a retired army lieutenant general who during a 2016 visit to Beijing stood for the Chinese national anthem and listened to an address by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), as well as retired general Chi Lin-liang (季麟連), who attended a party to celebrate founding of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] held by pro-China organizations in Taipei.”

Chang also mentioned a speech by retired air force general Hsia Ying-chou (夏瀛洲), who in 2011 attended a meeting of military officials in Beijing and said: “Let’s not differentiate between KMT troops and CCP troops. We are all as one, the military forces of China.”