The Presidential Office said Friday that there is no discord between President Ma Ying-jeou and Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu. That’s in light of recent disagreement between the two on the issue of Legislature President Wang Jin-pyng’s party membership.
Wang’s membership was revoked in September 2013 after he was accused of being involved in illegal lobbying of the judiciary. While Ma was still KMT chairman, he sought further appeals when the courts ruled in Wang’s favor. But when Chu took over as the new KMT chairman, he decided to amend party regulations and Wang's membership remained valid, much to Ma’s dismay.
Speculations of a rift between Ma and Chu surfaced on Friday after the president hosted a quiz contest in which the answer with a negative connotation is thought to indicate Chu. The Presidential Office said that Ma has regularly attended events and hosted quizzes at the Chi Nan Temple in the wake of the lantern festival. The office asked for the public not to over-interpret Ma’s words.
The office said that the relationship between Ma and Chu has not changed and that they will both attend a KMT meeting next Monday.