Entering 2022, the real battle of life and death for the Kuomintang - "nine-in-one" election has begun. When the KMT's momentum has fallen to the bottom, can it stand a last-ditch battle and make a desperate counterattack to defend the results of 2018? Party Chairman Zhu Lilun has no retreat. In front of Zhu Lilun, there was clearly a well-thought-out good move, but how could it turn out to be a bad move as soon as the move was made? We have to go back to Zhu Lilun’s leadership to find the reason.
The Kuomintang announced on the 16th that the eight-member "Election Nomination Committee" approved by party chairman Zhu Lilun will be responsible for the nomination task of the "nine-in-one" elections at the end of the year. However, New Taipei Mayor Hou Youyi, Taichung Mayor Lu Xiuyan, Chiayi Mayor Huang Minhui immediately declined on the grounds that it was "not suitable for players and referees". A Taiwanese media person bluntly stated on Facebook, "Tragedies keep repeating themselves, and Zhu Lilun's leadership is dead."
In September last year, Zhu Lilun was re-elected as chairman of the Kuomintang after a PK competition with Jiang Qichen and Zhang Yazhong. A very important reason is that the party generally expects a leadership chairman to lead everyone in the 2022 and 2022 battles. 2024.
However, with the successive defeats in the so-called "four major referendums", the Taichung Second District by-election, and the "Chang strike" case, the party's expectations for Chu Lilun gradually turned into doubts. On the eve of the vote on the "Chang Chang strike" case, veteran media person Zhao Shaokang couldn't help but jump out and criticize, "You can't do anything if you are timid."
Objectively speaking, Zhu Lilun established the "Election and Nomination Committee", which, in addition to the original leadership structure of the Party Central Committee, included so-called "local princes" such as Hou Youyi, Lu Xiuyan, Huang Minhui, etc., plus Han Guoyu the "four suns" of the party One, it was originally a good layout, because these people have strong strength and grassroots public opinion in the party, and they come together to shoulder the burden of the "nine-in-one" election campaign, which can not only share the pressure, but also create an atmosphere of unity and consolidate Zhu Lilun power base. If this committee can work together, the Kuomintang's "nine-in-one" election will get off to a good start.
It was obviously a well-thought-out good move, but how could it turn out to be a bad move as soon as it was made? We have to go back to Zhu Lilun’s leadership to find the reason.
When the list of the "Election Nominating Committee" was announced, a senior KMT official said that Zhu Lilun personally consulted one by one for this list. In hindsight, it is clear that this "consultation" was questionable, or at least inadequate, and did not receive a clear or affirmative answer.
Taiwanese media immediately discovered that this was not the first time Zhu Lilun had made such a mistake. On October 30 last year, the Kuomintang held its National Congress and announced the appointment of Hao Longbin as chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Hao Longbin immediately issued a statement stating that he had "not been notified and had no intention" in advance, which made the Kuomintang Central Committee disgraced.
It is unbelievable that such low-level mistakes appear again and again in the KMT’s highest-level political communication and decision-making, but it is also a naked reality.
Inferring from this, the "nine-in-one" election ranges from the county mayor, to the county and city councilors, to the village head. How will the Kuomintang Central Committee lead, coordinate, and fight this battle?
In the "four major referendums" on the island at the end of last year, public opinion was generally optimistic about the Kuomintang at the beginning, so they became enthusiastic and made radical decisions. This caused the "local princes" to be worried, unwilling to cooperate or even openly opposed. The result was that people were distracted. , lose everything.
In this year's "nine-in-one" election, the Kuomintang has no capital to lose again, and the party chairman has no room for mistakes. As the old saying goes, the Kuomintang must be united. Only by uniting can it have a chance to fight and fight a bloody road.
