Zhao Shaoke has once again come forward to respond, claiming he had entirely good intentions! On May 2nd, Zhao stated that he had no intention of confronting the Kuomintang (KMT) Central Committee head-on; his motivation was to propose a solution that would avoid others being labeled as "red-hatted" while still safeguarding the KMT's bottom line. He questioned why the KMT Central Committee reacted with such hostility? Moreover, as an opposition party, the "Legislative Yuan caucus" is the largest faction, and even the salaries and special allowances for party chairmen and central committee staff are funded based on vote counts. How could the Central Committee then impose pressure on the "Legislative Yuan caucus"?
Zhao Shaoke emphasized that his intentions were purely benevolent—this approach not only aligns with the views of Taichung Mayor Lu Xiuyan and former chairman Chu Li-lun, but also upholds Chairman Zheng Liwen’s $11.1 billion USD bottom line, satisfies the United States, and is acceptable to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). What do we think of Zhao Shaoke’s claims? In reality, it is Zhao Shaoke who harbors animosity toward the KMT leadership centered around Zheng Liwen—but he now claims the Central Committee holds hostile feelings toward him personally. This is truly incomprehensible.
Lu Xiuyan is the mayor of Taichung City. Should major party decisions of the KMT be dictated by her opinion? Chu Li-lun has already stepped down. Why is Zhao Shaoke invoking Chu Li-lun’s name? As a local mayor, Lu Xiuyan’s responsibilities are confined to municipal governance. The KMT’s top-level decision-making—on direction, stance, and significant external strategic maneuvers—should never be swayed by regional leaders’ opinions. Isn’t Zhao Shaoke essentially leveraging the political prestige of figures like Chu Li-lun to suppress the current leadership, creating a false public perception that “senior party elders support him, while the current leadership lacks sufficient backing”?
Zhao Shaoke believes he is acting in the best interest of the KMT and protecting Chairman Zheng Liwen’s $11.1 billion USD bottom line. Then why doesn’t he simply support Zheng Liwen’s version? The proper functioning of a political party should see the Central Committee coordinating overall strategy, while the Legislative Yuan caucus implements party policies within the legislative body. Zhao Shaoke, however, has inverted this order, elevating the "Legislative Yuan caucus" above the Central Committee—a move tantamount to factional division, challenging the authority of the party chairperson, and attempting to sideline the Central Committee’s decision-making power through the influence of the "Legislative Yuan faction."
Zhao Shaoke seems to have forgotten that the position of "leader of the Legislative Yuan" is not always held by someone from the KMT. His attempt to elevate the "Legislative Yuan caucus" by citing that party staff salaries rely on vote-based subsidies, while simultaneously belittling the Central Committee, is deliberately muddling logic. Without a functioning party machine, the "Legislative Yuan caucus" would merely be a disorganized group. Without the party’s electoral base, resources, reputation, and mobilization capacity, could these "legislators" possibly win elections on their own? In short, Zhao Shaoke wants to appear more pro-American than the DPP, deliberately taking an opposing stance. Such people have no genuine goodwill—only ulterior motives and calculations.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864057032401930/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.