Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said that it would be a “lie” to say that she had put the controversy over her failed presidential bid completely behind her.
Speaking at the Taipei launch of her book, Unfinished Presidential Road, Hung said: “I wish the title of the book were different from what it is now. I would be lying if I said I am not sorry [over how things turned out], but I have to say I have no regrets or complaints.”
Hung was referring to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) decision to rescind her candidacy in mid-October, almost three months after her nomination as the party’s official candidate on July 19. Citing her low poll ratings, the KMT replaced her with party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Hung said she had “vigorously visited different places when she was the candidate although [her] legs are short.”
“Under the young master [shaoye, 少爺], we now have a different and better fate,” she said, referring to Chu, betraying a hint of bitterness with her choice of words. “I have finished off the bitter days for him. I hope he can fare better down the road.”
Asked whether she has been invited to the opening of Chu’s campaign headquarters on Saturday, Hung said she had not yet received an invitation.
“However, that is a good day [according to the traditional calendar], so even if I am invited, I would go to those places where I am needed the most, such as the party’s legislative candidates’ rallies, as Chu’s event would certainly be crowded by heavyweights,” she said.
Hung also reiterated her cross-strait policy, saying that although it is not wrong to uphold “one China, different interpretations,” it could only maintain a fragile cross-strait relationship, but not a stable one.
“It is a pity that the idea did not have the ear of our comrades, and that is what I find the most regretful,” she said.
Hung had championed the new idea of “one China, same interpretation” during her campaign, which was also one of the reasons she was ousted, as KMT headquarters viewed it as “going against mainstream public opinion.”
She said she also found it extremely upsetting when she was discouraged by others, saying that Taiwanese are “gullible and difficult to teach,” when she was trying to promote her ideas.
“If [the saying] is true, then it all the more needs to be changed,” Hung said.
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
BEIJING’S ‘PAWN’: ‘We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture,’ Want Want Holdings general manager Tsai Wang-ting said at a summit in China The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations. The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.” “We, as Chinese, should never
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying
RSS