The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday resolved to dissolve its factions in a move to bolster party unity. Although some factions expressed opposition to the move, Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said it would benefit the DPP's long-term development.
The motion proposed by DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (
A total of 279 party delegates attended the convention and 153 voted in favor of Wang's proposal.
Many party heavyweights, including Vice President Annette Lu (
Although DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
According to Wang's motion, the DPP must immediately prohibit factions from setting up offices, recruiting members, holding meetings, collecting membership fees or raising funds.
The party should also forbid factions from asking government officials to brief them on policies.
However, disciplinary measures for those who violate the resolution were not spelled out yesterday.
They will be worked out at the next national convention if no provisional convention is called before that to address the issue, DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (
As soon as the resolution was approved, Justice Alliance faction leader Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) issued a press release announcing that it would stop functioning, and prohibiting anyone from speaking in the name of the alliance.
The Welfare State Alliance faction and the Green Alliance faction made similar statements, saying they would respect and obey the resolution.
Although the leader of the New Tide faction, William Lai (
DPP leaders mistook the factions for the real cause of the party's problems, Tuan said.
"The DPP's factions are by no means the cause of disorder. Policy flip-flops and power struggles are the crux of the problems," he said. "We find it regrettable that the party has missed a chance to find out what the real trouble is and push for reform."
Tuan said he was "frightened" to see the party blindly pass the resolution banning factions, thinking that this had met the public's expectations.
"Without the existence of factions, the DPP will lose a mechanism for communication and coordination," Tuan said. "Will it be a good thing for the DPP to have gangs existing in the party that have no [formal] organization?"
A Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator said yesterday that the resolution would not necessarily be beneficial to bilateral cooperation between the two parties.
David Huang (
Additional reporting by CNAalso see story:
Anti-corruption measure passes at DPP meeting
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he