DPP maverick protests possible expulsion

Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), a controversial DPP member, handed in a letter of protest to the party's Taipei city branch yesterday after its head suggested expelling her from the party.

Party officials reached a consensus Monday evening to dismiss the politician-turned-political commentator on the grounds that she had insulted the acting head of the Department of Health Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) in several call-in programs when Twu was wrongly accused of being involved in a sex scandal last week.

Twu was later vindicated after accusers PFP Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) and restaurant proprietor Cheng Ko-jung (鄭可榮) acknowledged they had identified the wrong person.

The expulsion is pending a final review next week.

A former national assembly member, Cheng Li-wen is the co-host of a popular talk show with PFP Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千). She is also a frequent guest on call-in programs.

Since she lost the party's primary as a legislative candidate last year, Cheng has been alienated from the party. Despite of her status as a DPP member, she is known to be a critic of the government. She has fostered ties with the PFP.

The 33-year-old Cheng said yesterday that she believed Twu's case was not the reason behind her punishment.

"The real cause [for my being chastised] is that I am not willing to defend the DPP's wrongdoings, and I sometimes point out flaws in policies," Cheng said.

She said the DPP had a high moral standard before taking power, but conscience had deminished in the ruling party.

Cheng was involved in student movements in the late 1980s when she was a law student at National Taiwan University.

She said she wasn't persecuted by the KMT for her participation in the democracy movement, she was therefore shocked to be penalized by the DPP two years after it assumed power.

"It would be the DPP, not myself, who gets hurt if I am expelled by the party because it would mean that the DPP is utterly running against the ideas it had kept in the past," she said.

Cheng returned to her alma mater Monday night for a protest upon hearing the news.

Former DPP chairmen Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) and Shih Ming-te (施明德), both of whom have defected to the opposition camp, sent their regards to Cheng at the university Monday night.

Others who went to voice their support for Cheng included Diane Lee and several PFP supporters.

Some DPP lawmakers who have been friends with Cheng since their college days yesterday advised her to leave the party voluntarily because it is a reality that Cheng no longer thinks like the DPP collective.

DPP Legislator Li Wen-chung (李文忠) indicated he has never been penalized by the party for his criticism against the authorities. He said Cheng's is being penalized because she often attacks the DPP with unfounded accusations. "Twu's case was merely the tip of the iceberg," he said.

The DPP's Taipei City branch will hold another meeting next week to have a final review of the expulsion. Cheng said she does not plan to petition against the decision if the punishment stands after that meeting. She will depart for London Wednesday evening, as scheduled, to complete her studies at Cambridge University.