Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
They agreed to amend the draft, which originally stated that "the nation should correct its name and write a new constitution as soon as possible," by stipulating that the nation should "accomplish rectification of `Taiwan' as soon as possible and write a new constitution."
The only major difference between the version agreed on yesterday and the previous one lies in the inclusion of the word "Taiwan" when describing the DPP's "name correction" ideal for the nation.
It took the three DPP heavyweights almost three hours to reach a consensus, which became possible only after Chen invited Yu, Hsieh and DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to the Presidential Office around noon yesterday to coordinate between Yu and Hsieh, who had been at odds over whether the party's final "normal country" resolution should specify "Taiwan" as the title to pursue.
Hsieh's camp had reservations about Yu's proposed amendment to the draft, fearing the move could scare away voters.
Yu had already begun seeking endorsement for the proposed amendment, winning support from the majority of DPP district chapter directors and more than half of all DPP legislators.
Although Yu had offered to resign last Friday following his indictment on charges of corruption and forgery relating to his special allowance fund, on Saturday he said he would stay put until after the party's national congress on Sunday.
Yu's move drew criticism from Hsieh's camp as it suspected Yu might have postponed his resignation to push through his proposed amendment at the congress.
A story published in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) yesterday cited an unidentified Yu aide as saying that during a meeting with Yu and Hsieh on Tuesday, Chen proposed to amend the Aug. 30 draft by stating that "the nation should correct its name to `Taiwan.'"
The proposal, however, was not accepted by Yu, who insisted on his version of the final resolution, which stipulates that "the nation should change its official title to `Taiwan.'"
Approached by the media before the Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday, Yu said the consensus lived up to his expectations, adding it would be of great help to the party in the presidential race as it offers DPP supporters an ideal and consolidates the party's ranks.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) accused the DPP yesterday of playing politics.
"Playing with words won't change the fact that the DPP is trying to change the `status quo' and I believe people who long for stability will understand the DPP's purpose," KMT Spokesman Su Jun-pin (
In related developments, the DPP Central Standing Committee passed a non-binding resolution calling on Yu not to resign.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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