The DPP said its reputation of keeping a distance from "black gold" politics was intact following the election yesterday of the speaker and vice speaker for Kaohsiung City Council.
The party said the victory of scandal-ridden independent councilor Chu An-hsiung (
Meanwhile, the KMT and the PFP said they will discipline any councilors who are proven to have sold their votes.
On Sunday, the DPP's council caucus decided to support Chu for speaker in exchange for Chu's support in the vice speaker's race.
However, facing numerous complaints from the grassroots, the DPP's Central Standing Committee, headed by President Chen Shui-bian (
Pan-blue nature
Senior DPP lawmakers said the party's move to retract support for Chu is in line with the public's expectations of wiping out "black gold" politics and that the race showed the true nature of the pan-blue camp.
"The results of the speaker's election again prove that the alliance between the KMT and the PFP is still a `black gold' relationship," said DPP lawmaker Chen Chi-mai (
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-lang (
"We fully congratulate the KMT and the PFP for their victory in successfully supporting controversial councilor Chu to win the speaker's election," Tsai said. "Now we can have no reasonable doubt that those Kaohsiung City councilors from the pan-blue alliance have illegal financial interactions with Chu."
Chu won the election with 25 votes out of 44.
The DPP's Kao Ying-tsung (
Chu's 25 votes appear to have come from the other eight independent councilors and the pan-blue alliance, which included 11 votes from the 12 KMT seats and six votes from the seven PFP seats.
Meanwhile, officials at KMT headquarters expressed regret about the election result, saying KMT councilors that voted for Chu will be punished.
"Chairman Lien Chan (
Threat of expulsion
"If any of the party's councilors accepted money for his or her vote, they absolutely will be expelled," Tsai quoted Lien as saying.
KMT legislative caucus leader Lee Chuan-chiao (
"Plenty of rumors suggest that the price to buy a vote in speaker's election is NT$3 million to NT$10 million," Lee said. "The KMT should find out whether they had received any money."
Before yesterday's election, the pan-blue alliance said Chu was an inappropriate candidate because of his record in financial scandals and even criticized DPP councilors for having expressed support for the controversial candidate.
The PFP kept a low profile in reacting to the election result, saying it needed more time to understand the real situation.
"I feel depressed because six of our councilors voted for Chu," said PFP Legislator Chiu Yi (
"We will urge the party to review the event and make some punishments," Chiu said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese