Despite the nation’s serious political partisanship, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that a consensus over President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) ineptitude has formed between the pan-green and pan-blue camps while announcing her five reform proposals.
“Negative sentiment on Ma’s governance has become a consensus between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, as even Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) has said publicly that his administration’s performance has been disagreeable, triggering complaints from the public,” Tsai said at a campaign rally in Kaohsiung.
“That an incumbent president should be described in such a fashion by his own party’s presidential candidate is pitiful,” Tsai added.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said now is the time for the entire nation to stand united, as Ma’s government has failed to solve a number of challenges facing the nation, including an aging population, the design of a 12-year compulsory education plan and low starting salaries for college graduates; instead, it has created more problems.
“While my opponents are trying to rally their parties, I am trying to rally the entire nation,” Tsai said. “There will certainly be pain in the process of reform, but giving up on reforms because of fear of pain shows poor leadership.”
“I will win people’s hearts with reform, even if that means upsetting vested interests, because I should be responsible for the nation’s future, not for those of vested interests,” she said.
Tsai received a warm welcome from a cheering crowd of more than 1,500 when she appeared at a rally at the International Convention Center Kaohsiung with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who is Tsai’s campaign manager.
Tsai used the occasion to announce her five reform proposals: restoring justice for the young generation, improving government efficiency, reforming the legislature, pursuing transitional justice and ending social polarization.
“It is especially important, but very hard, to end social polarization. However, that is the responsibility of the nation’s leader,” Tsai said. “I promise that, even if the DPP wins a majority in the legislature, we will not ‘take the entire bowl.’ We will form an alliance with progressive forces to attract more people into the reform movement.”
Chen said that what people in Kaohsiung most complain about is the unbalanced development between north and south, adding: “We have to speak with our votes next year to not only get Tsai elected, but also secure a DPP majority in the legislature.”
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from