KMT presidential candidate vows to protect Taiwan's freedom, democracy
ROC Central News Agency
05/20/2023 03:10 PM
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) The main opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) newly selected presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Saturday pledged to protect Taiwan's freedom and democracy amid "geopolitical" tensions.
At the KMT's headquarters in Taipei, where dozens of the party's executives and local government leaders rallied in a show of support, Hou vowed to adhere to the Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name, and preserve the free and democratic way of life in the country.
Hou, who is currently mayor of New Taipei, Taiwan's most populated city, said the country must take into account increasing "global geopolitical pressure" and "full-fledged competition between strong powers."
"In the face of all kinds of threats, [Taiwan] must upgrade itself" and make "the others" incapable of waging a war, the 65-year-old said, without mentioning China, which has in recent years doubled down military pressure on Taiwan against the backdrop of strained cross-Taiwan Strait relations.
"Even more important is that we need to engage in dialogue and exchanges in order to navigate our way towards maintaining the stability of the region," he added.
Hou has until recently rarely commented on cross-strait relations and global affairs, partly due to his lack of experience in handling matters beyond domestic issues.
Trained as a police officer, Hou worked his way up to serve as National Police Agency (NPA) chief and then head of the Central Police University before entering politics.
In 2010, Hou was handpicked by then-New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who currently chairs the KMT, to serve as one of his deputies.
Hou won the New Taipei mayoral seat in 2018 and again in 2022, defeating candidates from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) both times with wide margins, thus making him a preferred KMT candidate for the country's top job as the party seeks to return to power.
He successfully secured the party's presidential candidacy on Wednesday without going through a primary, even though Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of the Hon Hai Technology Group, or Foxconn, had also sought the KMT's nomination.
Gou, who has pledged his support for Hou after being forced out of contention, did not attend Saturday's event at the KMT headquarters.
In his remarks, Hou criticized Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the DPP -- his main rival in the presidential race -- for "dividing" the Taiwanese society and "tearing apart" the nation.
Lai, who secured the DPP's nomination in April as a presidential candidate after an uncontested primary selection process, is expected to continue President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) cross-strait policy should he be elected president next January.
Hou rebuted Lai's claims that the 2024 presidential race would be a fight between democracy and autocracy, by saying that "democracy and freedom have been in Taiwanese' DNA."
"Freedom and democracy have taken roots in the ROC for the past four decades," he said, while suggesting that the presidential election be a vote on either unity or division and on either peace or war.
The ROC lifted martial law on Taiwan proper in 1987 and on the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu in 1992, and did not hold its first direct presidential election until 1996.
In addition, Hou said if elected, he would "accept the monitoring of all the people" in Taiwan by giving reports on the state of the nation at the Legislature, a promise Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also made the same day.
According to the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the Legislature "may hear a report on the state of the nation by the president" when it convenes each year.
In other words, such practice has a legal basis but is not compulsory, and whether or not a president can address the Legislature requires approval from lawmakers.
Over the past two decades, none of Taiwan's previous and incumbent presidents has given a report at the Legislature because of opposition from either the ruling or opposition parties.
(By Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/ASG
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