Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday received a boost as the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and a group of academics openly endorsed her bid.
In a speech at the TSU’s 10th anniversary celebration yesterday, Tsai said that during the DPP’s reforms over the past three years, the party has maintained close ties with the TSU and it has been a very enjoyable experience working with them.
Thanking the TSU for throwing its support behind her presidential campaign and the DPP’s legislative nominees, Tsai said she hoped the TSU would be able to pass the threshold required to earn a legislative seat and she looked forward to working with the TSU in the legislature.
Photo: Sean Chao, Taipei Times
Parties are required to receive 5 percent of the vote to nominate candidates for legislator-at-large seats.
Tsai said in her speech that the public was worried that a possible cross-strait peace accord mentioned by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would deprive the next generation of Taiwanese of a choice about their future, so the current generation should shoulder the responsibility.
“As such, the TSU and the DPP should work together even more closely and guard Taiwan,” she said.
On the nation’s economy, Tsai said the public needs an empathetic government that takes care of those who need help, not like the current government, which thought that every economic problem would be solved with the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), the TSU’s spiritual leader, did not attend the event as he is still recovering from surgery he underwent last month to have a tumor removed.
TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) read a statement on Lee’s behalf, which called for voters to cast their ballots for Tsai for president, the DPP for legislators and the TSU for their party vote.
According to Huang, although the New Party and the People First Party split from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the current core mentality of KMT decisionmakers was the same “China Unification” path as the New Party, only with a different packaging to attract neutral voters.
“The KMT is using the New Party to make a show and make believe that the KMT is a party of a modest path,” he said.
At a separate setting yesterday, a group of academics, including several from Academia Sinica, formed an alliance in support of Tsai’s presidential bid.
Academia Sinica’s Lin Ming-chang (林明璋) served as honorary convener of the group, while Taiwan Association of University Professors president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) served as the official convener.
Expressing her gratitude, Tsai said that being an Academia Sinica academic was once her dream.
“I am overcome with gratitude and a sense of responsibility today seeing so many academics and scholars show up to support my campaign, “ she said.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff writer
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
‘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
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting