Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) saw a resurgence in public confidence this month, with the latest survey by the Chinese-language Global Views Monthly magazine showing Tsai leading a poll on local politicians.
The survey, conducted by the Global Views Survey Research Center, put trust in Tsai at 51.2 on a scale of zero to 100, up 1.6 points from last month. The figure represented the second-highest since her trust level peaked at 53.2 points in April.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) trust index this month also improved by 0.1 points, but it was still below 50 and lagged behind Tsai’s by 5.6 points. The last time Ma saw his level of trust exceed 50 points was in May last year.
The trust level of Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) declined for a fourth consecutive month, dropping 0.1 points to 44.0 points this month. Wu, who took office in September last year, last saw his trust index surpass 50 in October last year.
The poll showed the confidence index of the DPP reach a new high this month, surpassing that of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for the second straight month.
Confidence in the DPP was at 42.5 points this month, the highest since January this year, compared with the KMT, which had 41.2 points — a 0.2-point increase from the previous month, the survey showed.
The survey also showed the Taiwan Public Mood Index (TPMI) this month dropped to a new low at 41.7 points, down 1.2 points from last month. It was the lowest since January.
The TPMI comprises two indexes: the political confidence index (PCI) and the economic confidence index (ECI).
On the political front, the PCI sank 1.5 points from last month to 44.3 this month. The index for political optimism also dropped 3.7 points to 45.4.
The political stability index for next month was 34.4 — a decline of 4.4 points — and the level of trust in cross-strait detente next month decreased 3 points to 56.4.
On the economic front, the ECI saw a 0.8-point drop to 39.1. The current economic situation index also declined 1 point to 32.3 last month, while the economic optimism index fell 0.5 points to 46.0.
The poll surveyed 1,011 adults nationwide from Sept. 15 to Sept. 17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)