Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday called on the ruling party to give priority to face the immediate challenge of the "five mudslides" and to strive to eradicate them.
According to Lu, the "five mudslides" of society are the natural, economic, political, social and ethical crises.
"There are five mudslides sabotaging society. In a bid to root them out, both the government and the party have to do three things. They are to consolidate the government's authority, strengthen public confidence in both the government and the party and aggressively promote the idea of developing compassion among individuals," she said.
Lu made the remark at the DPP's spring tea party at Taipei's Grand Hotel yesterday morning.
The DPP held the annual event to show its gratitude to the party's supporters, including individuals, charities and business groups.
At the party, Lu expanded on the "five mudslides" -- in her view, the most pressing matters facing the nation internally.
The "economic mudslide" refers to the impact on the nation's traditional and agricultural industries brought about by Taiwan's accession to the WTO.
The "political mudslide" refers to illusions Taiwan holds about those countries who hold unfriendly or even hostile attitudes toward Taiwan.
The "social mudslide" refers to the nation's obsession with lotteries, which Lu said make people prefer pleasure-seeking over hard work.
The "ethical mudslide" refers to sensational media reports about politicians' and celebrities' sex lives.
Lu also urged the DPP to restore the party's ethics and discipline, and particularly the party's soul.
"It's such a pity that a party becomes merely an election tool rather than a tool to manifest political ideals," she said.
Commenting on the elections for the DPP chairmanship slated for May 26, Lu said that she hopes to see a peaceful and gentlemanly election race.
"No matter who emerges as the new chairman, that person is obliged to lead the party into a new century of democracy and prosperity," she said.
Lu added that the year-end elections for Taipei City and Kaohsiung City mayor are so important that the party cannot afford to miss out.
"The DPP has to win. We must win," she said.
DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) also dismissed the talk that the party seems to be losing ground in the Taipei mayoral race after Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) kicked off his campaign efforts yesterday.
The DPP has not yet decided on who to run against him.
"It's not a guarantee that a candidate will win just because the person gets an early start," he said. "Some people still lose after spending years preparing."
Hsieh added that the party has been aggressively contacting potential candidates, but the selection process is not suitable nor necessary for publication.
He said, however, that the best candidate has to stand a good chance of winning, as well as be personally interested in running.
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