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
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking