TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Kuomintang (KMT) held a flag-raising ceremony at its central party headquarters Tuesday morning (Oct. 10) in lieu of attending the official Taiwan National Day celebration held outside the Presidential Palace.
KMT Party Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) said that as the largest opposition party, the KMT has the responsibility to unify and work for the betterment of Taiwan. Chu added that today is the 112th National Day of the Republic of China (ROC) and honored Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), the "father" of the ROC, per UDN.
Chu said the ROC is not only the first democratic republic in Asia but also a democracy that would always stand with the people. He also pledged to lead the KMT in the upcoming presidential election, hoping to change Taiwan’s political leadership and become the ruling party.
The next speaker was KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), who criticized the DPP for forgetting the ROC’s history and potentially tampering with its founding spirit by adopting the English name "Taiwan National Day” instead of “ROC National Day.” Hou alleged the move is intentional, as the DPP aims to move Taiwan towards independence.
Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was the next to speak, declaring, "Taiwan is our home, but the Republic of China is the name of our country." He said that the subtle name change is not only nudging Taiwan in a dangerous independence direction but also misleading the people who love the country.
Ma said that for the sake of Taiwan's security and the future of its descendants, he refused to attend the National Day ceremony this year. Ma called upon everyone to use their votes to remove the current administration, as he hoped that under the leadership of Hou, he could attend ROC National Day in front of the Presidential Office in 2024.