Lawmaker continues attack against Ma's chair eligibility

In a Facebook post, Tsai explained that the KMT was trying to justify Ma's re-election with three things.

The first is the party's unofficial meeting and subsequent announcements.

The second is the changes made to party regulations related to re-election policies. Tsai said that the words “eligible for re-election for only one term” was changed to “eligible for re-election.”

The third is the party's usage of the media in order to paint a picture of Ma's “necessity.”

Following his statement on Jan. 18 about Ma's ineligibility to run for the next term, Tsai posted more comments on his Facebook last night.

Tsai said that his Facebook posts about Ma have already attracted more than 1 million views in one day, emphasizing the sheer amount of people concerned about the topic.

“Is this where our reform is headed?” asked Tsai. “By changing the laws to fit one's circumstances?”

The KMT had earlier released a statement saying that the candidacy of Ma would be based on the party's regulations.

In response, Tsai said that the KMT was giving a free ride to those in power and was disregarding the authority of the law.

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu said that as a party member of the KMT, he fully supports Ma.

“Of course I support Ma,” he said.

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin, on the other hand, expressed support for Ma more discreetly, and said that the KMT needed better cooperation and teamwork.

Hau added that KMT officials will continue to work together in bringing a consensus among every member.

In the Jan. 18 statement, Tsai cited Article 20 of the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法), which stipulates that the head of a civil association may be reappointed only once.; according to Tsai, that included a political party.

Furthermore, KMT charter regulations dictate that a chairman can serve four years and be re-elected only once, he said.

In response, the ruling party said in its statement that Article 20 does not apply to political associations.

Article 49, on the other hand, stipulates that leadership elections of political groups should be handled according to the groups' regulations, the KMT said.

Ma was elected party chairman on Aug. 19, 2005, but resigned on Feb. 13, 2007 before completing a full term.

He was elected to the post again on Oct. 17, 2009 for a tenure that will end this year.

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