TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taiwanese legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) has announced he will pull out of the Kuomintang (KMT) party’s legislator-at-large candidate selection process, as the opposition party faces mounting criticism over his pro-China leanings.
In a Facebook post on Friday (Nov. 15), Chiu revealed that he had received calls in some quarters to return to the island’s legislature. “I have been urged to stamp out the evil doings of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),” he said, describing himself as “an iron-hearted man bent on serving justice.”
While feeling compelled to serve the country, Chiu went on to say that he is reluctant to create trouble for friends who support his inclusion on the list. He admitted that some party members have doubts about him, which prompted him to drop out of the selection process.
A meeting was scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon by the KMT Central Standing Committee to review the list of non-divisional legislator candidates, and adjustment is expected. The announcement of the lineup on Nov. 13 was met with harsh criticisms, both from within the party and from political commentators.
In addition to Chiu Yi, whose contentious moves include expressing congratulations to the People's Republic of China on the 70th anniversary of its founding, the controversy also involves the selection of retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who was filmed listening to a speech by Xi Jinping during a trip to China in 2016.
