The KMT yesterday selected Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), former deputy mayor of Kaohsiung, as its contestant to vie to become the KMT-PFP joint candidate for Kaohsiung mayor.
Huang is in competition with PFP's pick, its vice chairman, Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄).
KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
"We hope very much that Huang Jun-ying will win the support of the PFP and represent the two parties to run in the race," Lin said.
Vice president of I-Shou University and a professor of business administration, the 61-year-old Huang is more an academic than politician.
Huang taught at National Chengchi University, California State Polytechnic University and National Sun Yat-sen University before joining the faculty of I-Shou University.
His political credentials include serving as the deputy mayor of Kaohsiung from 1995 to 1998 and 10 years as vice chairman of the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission from 1979 to 1987.
The KMT has favored Huang Jun-ying over two other aspirants -- Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Huang Chi-chuan (
The party spent much time over the past weeks persuading Huang Chi-chuan and Yao to drop their bids so they could wrap up the selection process yesterday.
According to Lin, the decision, which was made after a long period of negotiations, was one that transcended the confines of local political factions and yet took into account the possible development of the campaign.
Lin urged Huang Chi-chuan, Yao and their supporters to back up the party's decision in the interests of the party and for the sake of the future development of Kaohsiung.
Unveiling his campaign platform yesterday, Huang Jun-ying pledged to form a professional administration to develop Kaohsiung into a free port with a strong industrial infrastructure, a prosperous city with an energetic population and a charming city with a pleasant environment.
Of his low approval rating, Huang said this was "reasonable" because he had not appeared in local political scene and enjoyed little media exposure over the past few years.
Huang was upbeat that his approval rating would continue to grow after he officially joined the campaign, in light of the fact that the rating has risen to 20 percent in a poll released two days ago from 0.8 percent a few months ago.
PFP Secretary-General David Chung (
Chung, however, proposed that the KMT join the PFP to establish a "Kaohsiung new hope alliance" to react to Kaohsiung residents' anticipation to find a mayor better than the DPP incumbent Frank Hsieh (
Chung explained that the purpose of such an alliance would be to unite all forces outside the DPP to win the election.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a