The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Central Standing Committee yesterday adopted a resolution aimed at regulating political party assets, while prohibiting parties to run businesses, specifically targeting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
“The issue of party assets is not only something concerning the nation’s transitional justice, it would also damage democracy in Taiwan, as it creates unfair competition,” DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told a news conference following the committee’s meeting in Taipei.
“After the next legislature is inaugurated, the DPP will seek to cooperate with all parties to pass a [proposed] political party act, which would define a political party as a non-profit organization, limiting its sources of funding to membership fees, political donations made according to the law, government subsidies and interest thereof,” she added.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said party-run businesses are the “cancer of democracy,” adding that they should be strictly prohibited.
“Although the KMT says that it has put all of its party assets into trust, it is still able to profit from interests via operations and handling of [companies’] assets, leading to unfair competition among political parties,” she said.
In addition to prohibiting political parties from running businesses, Tsai said that there should also be a law to address illegitimate party assets.
“I would like to call on [KMT chairman] Eric Chu [朱立倫] to cease selling off KMT assets,” Tsai said. “As for business leaders, I would like to urge them to not be involved in transactions concerning KMT assets based on corporate social responsibility and ethics, to avoid being trapped in disputes in the future.”
One of the richest political parties in the world, the KMT controversially obtained many of its party assets after taking over properties left by the Japanese after World War II, although the properties should be owned by the government, not a political party.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘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