The KMT will soon contact the PFP to discuss plans to nominate a joint candidate for Kaohsiung mayor, KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
As the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races are the top issue on the KMT's political agenda, the party will try to seek consensus within the party and cooperate with the PFP in order to win, Lin said.
Lin, however, rejected the possibility of a deal in which the KMT would support a PFP candidate for Kaohsiung mayor in exchange for the PFP's backing for Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) re-election bid.
He said the KMT will only support a PFP candidate if the candidate is proven to be more suitable than the KMT's.
"The party affiliation of the candidate isn't very important. What we need to do is to find the best candidate," Lin said. "If the PFP has a candidate who is superior to the KMT's candidate, the matter is open for discussion."
While Ma's candidacy is almost certain, the KMT is still looking for the right candidate for Kaohsiung mayor. Kaohsiung-elected lawmaker Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and Kaohsiung City Council speaker Huang Chi-chuan (黃啟川) are reportedly two possible candidates.
As for the PFP, the party's vice chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
Other candidates favored by the PFP reportedly include former minister of justice Liao Cheng-hao (
James Chen (
According to Chen, the candidate should meet two major criteria, namely that he or she should be a Kaohsiung resident and be ethnic Taiwanese.
Chen said that by selecting a candidate who is ethnically Tai-wanese, the party hopes to avoid manipulation of the ethnic divide that he said always occurs during election campaigns.
He added that the fact Ma is an ethnic mainlander also makes it important that the party field a candidate of a different background in the south.
Under these circumstances, Wang, an ethnic mainlander, may not be a suitable candidate for Kaohsiung mayor, Chen said.
Unlike the Taipei race, the Kaohsiung election is expected to be an uphill battle for the KMT and PFP as they try to unseat DPP incumbent, Frank Hsieh (
The DPP, meanwhile, is working hard to find a candidate who is strong enough to block Ma's re-election bid in Taipei.
DPP Secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (
Even if it does not succeed in defeating Ma, the DPP will at least deal him a heavy blow, Wu said.
The DPP is reportedly considering having Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
Other possible candidates include Central Personnel Administration Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), Council for Hakka Affairs Chairwoman Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) as well as senior lawmakers Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) and Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌).
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
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist