The ruling party – the Kuomintang (KMT) – has removed five members from its ranks. The move came on Wednesday, following a meeting of the party’s disciplinary committee.
Among the five party members who have been removed is Legislator Chi Kuo-tung. Another is former KMT lawmaker Chang Sho-wen, who recently announced that he had quit the party in order to run for legislator as a member of the People First Party.
The KMT says that it expelled four of the former members for attacking the party on TV. The party said the fifth member -- Central Committee member Lee Po-jung – had damaged the party’s reputation.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu said Wednesday that some party members may be unhappy with some of the party’s moves. But, he said, they should remain unified in their support for the KMT and affiliated parties, called the “pan-blue camp”, and their ideas about the future of Taiwan.
“Our foundation is the same," said Chu. "We cannot accept people waving the blue flag in order to defeat the blue flag. We cannot accept people who were in the pan-blue camp before the elections, jumping to the pan-green camp after the elections. We hope that everyone can work together towards achieving a common goal based on our strong beliefs- of a shared national identity and a consensus on Taiwan’s future.”
Wednesday’s move comes amid concerns of a mass exodus of KMT members. The KMT suffered a blow in local elections last November, and some say the party’s presidential candidate, Hung Hsiu-chu, is a liability.
Party officials have urged solidarity while the party is at a low point.