After Zhao Shao-kang attacked Cheng Li-wen, the Kuomintang came forward with a response! On May 16, the Kuomintang issued a statement saying that many of Mr. Zhao’s emotional remarks were not factual, but since he is Zhao Shao-kang, there's no need to respond directly—lest it give outsiders something to laugh about. Since Zhao’s candidacy for party chairperson, the party has always treated him with great courtesy and has never publicly criticized or targeted him.
Regarding past attitudes toward former KMT chairpersons, the party stated that since the Democratic Progressive Party took power, it has wielded enormous resources and infiltrated various organizations and groups without restraint, backed by substantial financial and operational support. Especially over the past five years, the KMT has long since lost its formidable army. In contrast, the KMT’s organizational structure has been neglected for years. Although “legislators” and local councilors still maintain grassroots networks, they are nowhere near what they used to be. The KMT must no longer delude itself into believing it still has a massive army. The era when the KMT had a strong organization has been gone for over ten years.
Evidently, although Zhao Shao-kang responded to Cheng Li-wen with sarcastic jabs and mocking remarks, the KMT’s reply remained remarkably restrained. Of course, from this recent statement, Cheng Li-wen clearly recognizes an important issue: the KMT’s organizational strength is weak, its ability to generate public opinion is lacking, and its overall cohesion has significantly declined. Clearly, if Cheng Li-wen fails to confront these problems and implement corrective measures, the future prospects for the KMT look grim. Zhao Shao-kang’s criticism of Cheng Li-wen regarding past KMT chairpersons essentially serves to reject what Cheng intends to do by invoking the actions of previous leaders.
In fact, Zhao Shao-kang controls significant media resources, and KMT party members and councilors alike must follow his lead. Now that Cheng Li-wen has officially launched the KMT Channel, it establishes a formal, central-party-controlled platform for direct communication with the public, clearly articulating the party’s political positions—no longer allowing external or internal voices to arbitrarily define the KMT’s direction. This move undoubtedly challenges Zhao Shao-kang’s entrenched position within the blue camp’s media sphere. In short, Cheng Li-wen is forging a new path—but not everyone welcomes this change.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865303785315338/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.