Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun surprised no one yesterday when he announced his intention to run in the party primary for next year's presidential election.
Yu is the second of the DPP's four big guns to announce a presidential bid. Former premier Frank Hsieh (
Registration for the DPP primary will be open from March 5 to March 9. Party members will vote on presidential and legislative hopefuls on May 6, after which public opinion polls will be held. The party will announce its final candidates for the two elections on May 30.
Saying that he is the one who is "most capable of leading Taiwan forward," Yu made the announcement at a temple in his Ilan County hometown yesterday morning.
Yu said next year is important because it will be the time when the Taiwanese people have to decide whether to move forward or go backward, as the country faces a number of challenges, including globalization and China's economic rise.
At this important juncture, Yu said that the country needs a leader who "says what he means, is consistent and has a sense of propriety."
"Such a person has to stick to principles because they give the person faith and power," he said.
The next president has to insist on reform, know how to tackle the cross-strait impasse and react to internal and external crises with creative thinking, he said.
"I believe I am that person," he said.
The DPP boss said he would not rush to resolve the cross-strait issue or change his position, nor would he vacillate on issues. He described himself as the "one who upholds Taiwan's values."
When asked whether he would resign his party post to enter the primary, Yu said that although the party's election rules did not require him to do so, he would nonetheless ask for leave of absence after he begins campaigning.
He said he also needed time to think about a running mate.
Yu's announcement came after President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said on Wednesday that he had been disappointed that Yu had not yet announced his intention to run in the primary.
Yu returned to Taipei yesterday afternoon to visit former senior presidential adviser Wu Li-pei (吳澧培) and seek his support. Wu encouraged Yu to offer a clear discourse on important issues, particularly "Taiwan consciousness" and how to materialize it.
Other DPP figures seen as possible presidential aspirants were low key yesterday when asked about Yu's announcement.
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) refused to comment, saying that she did not want to talk about the election during the Lunar New Year holiday.
She spent yesterday morning with the president, visiting temples in Keelung and paying respect to the late Keelung Mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利), who died last Wednesday of complications from chronic heart disease.
Meanwhile, Hsieh said that he was not surprised by Yu's decision and that it was a good thing to see many contenders in the primary.
"It shows the party has many great talents," Hsieh said. "I believe when there is competition, there is improvement."
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
RSS