Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday announced that he has registered a new political party that would “use ‘Taiwan’ as its name and the people as its foundation.”
With the forming of the new party — whose Chinese-language name (台灣民眾黨) roughly translates to “Taiwan people’s party,” an official English name is to be announced on Tuesday next week — Ko said that he hoped to give Taiwanese a choice other than the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
The new party would prioritize professionalism and respect for the will of the people in its policymaking, he said, adding that it would work diligently and free of corruption.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ko was joined by Taipei City Government deputy spokeswoman Huang Ching-ying and Taipei City councilors Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平) and Hsu Li-hsin (徐立信) when making the announcement in the morning at Taipei City Hall.
Ko, who political pundits have speculated might run in next year’s presidential election, said that when he first ran for mayor in 2014 as an independent, he argued that changing the nation’s political culture must start with the capital.
Since then, he has maintained that an administration should focus seriously only on what needs to be done, he added.
Ko said that before he had resolved to run for mayor, he first joined a study group at the Hsin Kang Foundation of Culture and Education to engage the public at a cultural level.
In the five years since, as mayor he has participated in the annual Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage and joined a study group at the foundation again, he said, adding that the experiences reminded him of his original aspirations.
“Governance is not difficult, you just need to face your conscience. Holding office is not difficult if you always remember your original intentions,” Ko said. “People need to see the practical effects of politics in their everyday lives.”
Responding to criticism that he lacks a core ideology, Ko said that his political philosophy was aimed at “what benefits Taiwan as a whole, and what provides the greatest well-being for Taiwanese.”
Seeking either Taiwanese independence or unification with China, or advocating the so-called “1992 consensus,” does not constitute a core ideology, he said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Taiwan’s political system has been damaged since 2000, before which the KMT’s firm grip on government meant that it could focus on economic development, Ko said.
In the past, the KMT had talented officials like former minister of finance Lee Kuo-ting (李國鼎) and former premier Sun Yun-suan (孫運璿) to handle economic policies, he said.
“However, in the past few years things such as the new Shenao Power Plant, a project worth more than NT$10 billion [US$320.7 million], have been axed overnight,” Ko said. “They say Taiwan’s power supply is adequate. What a joke!”
Ko said that he visited a coal-fired power plant in Yokohama, Japan, and saw no noise or pollution from the facility.
“It is not about coal being clean or dirty, it is about people being clean or dirty,” he said.
Ko expressed hope to see universal values such as the rule of law, human rights protections, freedom and democracy continue to flourish in Taiwan, saying that freedom was based on tolerance.
Taiwan has never been a nation that follows the rule of law, because the law is only consulted here, not respected, he said.
Ko said that while he did not see himself as a leader or influencer, he has worked hard and loved the people, adding that he felt that he has had a good track record in office.
Later yesterday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that parties that are “independence-leaning and Republic of China-leaning have a shared responsibility to protect Taiwan’s democracy.”
Democracy is the biggest difference between Taiwan and China, she said, adding that healthy political competition could better address public needs and diversify the nation’s democracy.
The Democratic Progressive Party and the KMT separately said that they respected people’s constitutional right to establish parties.
Ko’s new party shares its Chinese name with one founded on July 10, 1927, during the Japanese colonial era by physician and social activist Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), who Ko has called his hero.
The Chiang Wei-shui Cultural Foundation called on Ko to reconsider the name of his party, saying that the Taiwan People’s Party is a part of the nation’s cultural heritage, as it was Taiwan’s first political party.
Chiang’s party was dissolved in August 1931.
The foundation said that it hoped anyone invoking Chiang’s name “truly stands for political freedom, economic liberation and social equality, just as he did.”
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao, Yang Chun-hui, Shih Hsiao-kuang and Ling Mei-hsueh
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS