Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) yesterday said that he would quit the party — as well as a clique of former New Tide faction members, of which he is an influential member — to protest the nomination of Executive Yuan Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) for party chairperson.
Wu made the remarks in an instant messaging group used by the clique.
He singled out Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), a member of the group, as the source of his frustration, saying that Cheng’s endorsement of Cho after Cho last month lashed out at DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), another member of the clique, showed that Cheng did not value his 30 years of friendship with Tuan.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The move would negatively affect Tuan’s role as one of the group’s leading figures, Wu added.
Tuan last month sparked a dispute with Cho after he slammed his palm on the podium during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan when grilling Premier William Lai (賴清德) over DPP policies that had drawn public criticism, which he said led to the party’s losses in the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
Cho called Tuan’s harsh criticism of the party “completely unacceptable” and asked whether the DPP had been wrong to push pension reforms for retired civil servants, military personnel and public-school teachers.
Legislation to eliminate a much-criticized 18 percent preferential interest rate for the retirees in six years was led by Tuan, Cho said.
The party “took a wrong step” while reflecting after its election losses, as did President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) when she met with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday, Wu said.
He added that while those errors cause him pain, his endorsement of Cho was the last straw.
“The New Tide faction is a failed project. It cannot speak its mind, even when the party is going through a crisis, which proves that it no longer has a reason to exist,” Wu said.
The DPP in 2006 dissolved its factions, but many continue to exist unofficially.
Asked for comment while accompanying Cho to register for the DPP chairperson election, Cheng said: “I have not learned of that situation.”
Cho said that Wu is an “amiable and experienced” DPP member who he hopes would remain in the party.
Additional reporting by Sean Lin and CNA
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do