Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh said he would conduct a public opinion poll on former premier Su Tseng-chang (
Hsieh said he will also listen to opinions coming "from the president [down] to ordinary people."
Hsieh made the announcement through a recorded message posted on his Web blog yesterday morning.
He said he would be impartial and uphold the nation's interests when choosing his vice presidential partner.
"I will listen to other people's opinions, but I will not let other people decide for me, regardless of who or what they are -- TV news, the media, political talk show hosts, the president, the premier or the [party] chairman," he said.
"The poll results will not be the only criterion, but if there is a big difference between the ratings, I will prioritize a DPP victory because winning the election is the most important goal," he said.
Hsieh said he believes a DPP victory in next year's presidential election would put an end to the nation's "democratic civil war" pitting the DPP against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and resolve "the independence versus unification controversy."
"If the DPP wins, I believe the pro-localization elements within the KMT will gain the upper hand. The KMT will then be thoroughly localized," he said.
Hsieh has remained tight-lipped about his potential running mate since he won the DPP presidential nomination in May.
His KMT opponent, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), chose former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) as his running mate on June 23.
Yeh, a Hakka who enjoys support from Hakka groups, has clearly expressed her interest in being Hsieh's running mate while Su said on Friday he had no intention of competing with Yeh.
In his online message, Hsieh commended Yeh for her magnanimity and the thoughtfulness she demonstrated by suggesting that Hsieh turn to polls rather than directly choose her as running mate.
Hsieh said the reason why he did not choose a running mate immediately after the primary was that he wanted to wait until party members had had a chance to calm down from the emotional primary.
In response to Hsieh's blog posting, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (
"I have talked to [former] premier Su on the phone. He made it very clear he would campaign for Hsieh but he did not want any offer of position," Wu said.
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
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘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
RSS