Calling himself an "engineer of Taiwan's new constitution" in his legislative campaign ads, David Huang (黃適卓) said that he was led into politics by both his father, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Chu-wen (黃主文) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
The elder Huang is a political veteran who has served as minister of interior during Lee's presidency. Despite this background, David Huang says it never previously occurred to him to go into politics and that he expected to remain an academic for the rest of his life.
After having obtaining his doctoral degree in public administration at the University of Southern California in 2001, Huang became an assistant professor at Tamkang University. He also served as a committee member in the Examination Yuan until he decided to run for a legislator's seat.
Former TSU deputy secretary-general Chen Hong-chi (陳鴻基), who failed to win a legislative seat in the southern constituency of Taipei City, where Huang is now campaigning, said the party needed new blood and withdrew his candidacy for this year's elections in Huang's favor, with the approval of Lee.
Although Lee supported Huang's nomination, however, his mother Huang Shu-ying (黃淑英) was opposed him following his father's footsteps at first because she thought life as a lawmaker was too demanding. Eventually Lee persuaded her to change her mind and support her son's campaign.
Changing his career in midstream from academia to politics, Huang admitted that he took some time to learn campaigning techniques, such as how to get along with voters and how to promote himself with campaign rhetoric. He now thinks he has a good grasp of the essentials.
Using "the legacy of responsible democracy" as one of his campaign slogans, Huang's campaign ads feature both Lee and his father and portray Huang as someone ready to pick up the torch for promoting Taiwan-centered national identification to the younger generation. Huang has said he will devote himself to rectifying the country's name and creating a new constitution for Taiwan.
Highlighting his image as a pro-independence advocate, Huang aims to grab a legislative seat in Taipei City's southern constituency, which is one of the most keenly fought over with more than 30 candidates contending for 10 seats.
But he stressed that he cannot ride to an election victory in the coattails of his father or Lee but will have to build his own individual support from the ground up. His platform, he says, will eventually become the mainstream political position in Taiwan.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS