EDITORIAL: KMT and TPP finally agreeA photograph taken yesterday shows former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) clasping hands outside the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation in Taipei. His hand is not touching Chu’s or Hou’s, and it appears as if Ma is cajoling Ko to join the handshake. Hou’s compromise on a poll to decide the ticket, which he and Chu had vehemently held out against, has Ma’s hand all over it. In pushing KMT-TPP unity, Ma has taken Ko’s side over Hou’s, and by so doing — whether intentionally or not — has created new cracks in the KMT. While the People First Party might be a spent force, the same might apply to the KMT if the election in January goes poorly for it.

Source: Taipei Times November 16, 2023 03:41 UTC