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Tsai speaks out at DPP convention

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, former president Chen Shui-bian, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, the party’s former presidential and vice presidential candidates Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang, former premier Yu Shyi-kun, and former DPP chairman Hsu Hsin-liang, from left to right, attend the DPP’s National Convention yesterday. PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES

Taiwan’s sovereignty is in jeopardy and the country could be sacrificed under the leadership of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

“The compromises made by the new government in exchange for uncertain economic advantages from such things as cross-strait charter flights and tourism have put Taiwan’s sovereignty in unprecedented danger,” she said. “The DPP must not watch this happen with folded arms and look on unconcerned. Instead, it must use its governing experience and play the role of balancing and monitoring [the government] well.”

Tsai made the remarks at the DPP’s annual National Convention yesterday, the first she presided over after assuming the party chairmanship in May.

In her speech, Tsai said the KMT government had led Taiwan into a crisis even though it has only been in power for two months.

On the economic front, she said “the government is addicted to expansionary policies while ignoring the problem of inflation.”

As for the stock market, the government misled investors and ended up causing them huge losses, she said.

The government’s China-leaning cross-strait policies and its 25 measures on opening the nation to China would only result in Taiwan losing its bargaining chips in cross-strait exchanges, and prompted Taiwan’s allies to question whether Taiwan would remain of strategic significance to them, she said.

Tsai said that when the KMT was in the opposition, it long blocked weapons procurement bills, and since assuming office in May, its ambiguous position toward the issue has lost the nation an opportunity to strengthen its defenses.

Tsai told her audience that the DPP must stand up to assert the interests of Taiwan and the Taiwanese, insist on upholding Taiwan’s sovereignty and stand by the right of Taiwanese to choose their country’s future.

“The DPP must stage a comeback and become a better choice than the KMT for voters,” she said.

The one-day convention yesterday passed a proposal not to conduct a primary for next year’s mayoral elections. Instead, candidates who will run in the local elections would be recruited and vetted by the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party’s highest decision-making body.

Former DPP legislator Lin Chun-mo (林重謨) told the convention that, as the party chairwoman, Tsai should play a major role in the CEC’s nomination process and take responsibility for the nominations. The convention proposed the nominations be named by the end of this year.

The convention also approved an amendment to the party’s corruption code, specifying certain behavior and conduct that would be regarded as corruption and outlined punishments for such acts.

The party representatives attending the convention also elected 30 CEC members. Ten were elected from the 30 members-elect of the Central Standing Committee.

Several DPP heavyweights attended the convention, including former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former premiers Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Yu Shyi-kun, and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良). Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) was invited as a guest.

Tsai said that Chen had invited Hsu to rejoin the party. After failing to secure the party’s presidential nomination for the 2000 presidential election, Hsu withdrew from the DPP in 1999 and ran unsuccessfully as an independent.

Hsu was closely associated with the pan-blue camp over the past few years, particularly during the anti-Chen Shui-bian campaign in August 2006 initiated by former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德). Hsu’s endorsement of Hsieh in the run-up to March’s presidential election was as an apparent move away from the pan-blue camp.

Hsu reportedly had asked Tsai yesterday “to return his old party card,” indicating Hsu’s willingness to rejoin the party.

Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-Fang and Tseng Wei-chen
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