Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday announced that he will join the election for chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and vowed to open up a broader road for the party.
On the last day for registration yesterday, Su, accompanied by his wife Chan Hsiu-ling (詹秀齡), his three daughters and the party's Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), went to DPP Headquarters to sign up as a candidate for the party chairmanship after which he held a news conference to announce his decision to participate.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Su said he had already submitted his resignation as Presidential Office secretary-general to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
As one of the potential candidates to be appointed premier in the February Cabinet reshuffle, Su's announcement was unexpected. In his news conference, Su said in the light of the DPP's poor performance in last month's elections, he felt it was his duty to run for the leadership.
"When the DPP needs me, I'm obliged to come out and take on the duty of opening up a broader road for the party," he said. "In pursuit of the DPP's sustainable progress and the country's long-term development, I'm happy to shoulder the responsibility of party chairman."
Su said he will vow to lead the party to win every election for the next three years, including the presidential elections in 2008, should he win the chairmanship election.
Su said he agreed with President Chen's opinion that the DPP and the government have to be strong enough so that Chen could serve a president for the entire people with solid backing, and he was willing to assist the president to carry out his promise to the people of Taiwan.
Su also stressed that it was not Chen who asked him to campaign for the chairmanship.
"It was my own decision to compete for the chairmanship. I reported my decision to the president and obtained his support," Su said.
Su also clarified that he was not a member of the New Tide faction (新潮流), the best-organized and largest faction in the party, saying that he would never involve himself in factional politics.
When asked if he felt reluctant to campaign for the DPP chairmanship, Su took the example of his experience of playing rugby in college, saying that the best part of this sport is that team members always work together to cover their fellow members to score.
"Whoever gets the ball does not rush forward but has to pass it back to another team member. It is the team work that counts," Su said.
"To squat down is for a more powerful jump up. To step back is for an advance," Su said. "Individuals do not matter. If I become the chairman, I will go all-out to do the chairmanship job."
"Only by doing things well in the current position do we have a bright future," Su said.
Su has served in an important party post before, with a spell as DPP secretary-general from December 1993 to April 1995.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition