KMT questions Ma's leadership skills

Receipts scandal leads to calls for diversification of power

Members of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang have challenged the leadership of party chairman and 2008 presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou, whose approval rating has fallen to new lows after his integrity was questioned over a snowballing 'receipt' scandal.

In addition to calls for his resignation by fellow KMT members, there is a growing voice from within the party questioning the ability of Mr Ma, who is also Taipei's mayor.

According to local media, the KMT's 31-member 'New Voice' faction advocated joint party leadership, rather than relying on a 'sole political star', shortly after Mr Ma's mayoral office admitted on Tuesday to the wrongful use of receipts by one of his aides in accounting for NT$1.4 million (HK$332,700) in expenses.

Mr Ma was accused by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in August of embezzling half of the NT$340,000 monthly expenses allocated to him to pay for public affairs. Mr Ma has denied any wrongdoing, but it was later discovered that one of his aides had cheated in filing Mr Ma's expense claims between 2003 and this year.

Mr Ma, dubbed Mr Clean due to his unsullied image, was forced to apologise to the public on Wednesday for what he admitted were 'serious administrative flaws'.

Faction members were concerned about the party's future under his leadership, which they said was falling short of supporters' expectations, the local daily China Times reported.