The party’s disciplinary body decided on Tuesday to revoke the committee membership of Chiang Ta-lung and of former lawmaker Yang Chi-hsiung for sending gifts, including fish, to potential voters.

Both men pleaded innocent, while accusing a dozen of other committee members of being guilty of the same practice. The chairman of the disciplinary body, Juan Kang-meng, said accusations of further wrongdoing would be investigated and also punished if found to be true.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party said the KMT was only focusing on soft targets, and its claims of reform lacked credibility. The opposition quoted two opinion polls, one of its own and one from Global Views magazine, showing slightly more than 50 percent of respondents unwilling to believe Ma could improve the party’s image.

The allegations against Yang and Chiang erupted after Ma took office as KMT chairman last Saturday. The reports about vote-buying were widely seen as a test of Ma’s intentions to rid the KMT of its image as a party allowing vote-buying and corruption.

In his maiden speech at the first meeting of the new Central Standing Committee Wednesday, Ma said he wanted to create a positive KMT and a strong and effective government in order to make the public feel that the KMT was an action party serious about reform. He asked the party’s lawmakers, who hold an overwhelming majority at the Legislative Yuan, to improve their performance and speed up the passage of important laws and budgets.

The public should receive the impression that the KMT was a party which could reflect on its mistakes and take responsibility, Ma said.

As the Central Standing Committee was holding its meeting, Yang supporters showed up outside KMT headquarters, complaining that he had been singled out for punishment because he was no longer a legislator. They showed what they said were presents received from other candidates.

Committee member Chen Ting-yun described the practice of distributing gifts as a product of history rather than a crime.

Yang and Chiang’s places on the committee were filled by party youth activist Lee Te-wei and lawmaker Tsai Chin-lung.

At the same time, the KMT was also considering drawing up rules for the behavior of at-large legislators, a plan widely believed to be targeted at Lo Shu-lei, an outspoken lawmaker often critical of the government.

At-large legislators are not elected directly by voters, but according to the overall percentage won by the party in the election. The higher on the list, the more likely the candidate is likely to be elected.

The placement on the list is decided by the party leadership, and is often linked to attempts at reaching a balance between different professions, factions or regional origin.

Lo said she was always present at votes and had always followed the party line, voting along with her KMT colleagues. She told reporters she would continue to say what needed to be said and do what needed to be done.