Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said party headquarters did not plan to amend its nomination regulations to ensure presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) could stay in the race should he be indicted in any of the cases against him.
"We believe in Hsieh's innocence, but the party also has its own system. Everything follows the party's regulations," Lin said when asked for comment.
Lin was taking reporters' questions because of the recent focus on Hsieh's special mayoral allowance case and a political donation case, in which it is alleged that he received illegal donations from construction companies bidding for Kaohsiung MRT contracts during his term as Kaohsiung mayor.
Hsieh had promised to withdraw from the race if he were indicted in connection with the alleged misuse of his special mayoral allowance.
On Sunday Hsieh said that he would not bet his political career on the political donation case because the prosecutor formerly in charge of the investigation had not been impartial.
The DPP's nomination regulations stipulate that if a member is indicted for receiving illegal benefits, the party's integrity committee would suggest the Central Disciplinary Committee suspend the rights of the member, including the right to run as a party candidate for government office.
Although the investigation into Hsieh's political donation case has not yet been concluded, its impact on his campaign has already become a major issue.
Lin said Hsieh had discussed the allegations against him with the Central Standing Committee and the committee members were confident of his innocence.
"The party deals with similar matters consistently and strictly because the party has very clear regulations," DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) accused Hsieh of manipulating religion to boost his chances in the election.
Tsai said Hsieh had arranged several tours of temples in central and southern Taiwan, during which the participants were given hints by the temples' abbots that Buddha favored Hsieh for president.
The lawmaker, however, presented no evidence to back his claims yesterday, saying only that several borough wardens had told him about the trips.
"People taking the trips visited famous temples, were treated to good food and were told winning lottery numbers. The cost of the trips were as low as NT$200 to NT$300," Tsai said.
Speaking by telephone at Tsai's press conference, borough warden Lin Tien-yi (
Tsai said that Hsieh was trying to influence middle-of-the-road voters into voting for him by taking advantage of their religious beliefs.
In Taitung yesterday, Hsieh dismissed the allegation, saying the KMT was trying to spread rumors.
Urging the KMT to provide specifics about the time and locations of the alleged temple tours, he said the KMT's allegations were disrespectful to religion.
"Political leaders should think more about public construction and policy rather than wars of words," Hsieh said in Taitung.
Also see story:
Hsieh seeks `win-win' relationship with PRC>A
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source