The acting chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that inter-party talks will soon begin with its ally the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), as a precursor to expanded discussions with other parties.
Ker Chien-ming (
Ker said the basic view was that there must be an end to the bickering between the ruling and opposition parties through some form of reconciliation, and pointed to Chen's new year's address to the nation, where he entreated all political parties to come together for the benefit of Taiwan.
In the speech, the president said that if something benefits the stability of domestic politics, the welfare of the people, harmony among ethnic groups and cross-strait peace, then it can be discussed between political parties for further cooperation to achieve positive results.
Ker said the DPP will maintain a "parallel and equidistant" relationship with the TSU, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP), and will begin to communicate with them as soon as possible.
Since the DPP has cooperated more regularly with the TSU in the past, it will consult with it first, Ker said, adding he will contact TSU acting-chairman Huang Tzung-yuan (
Huang replied he was happy to begin discussions about cooperation and added that the KMT and the PFP also need to come to the table for the sake of political stability.
Meanwhile, Huang Teh-fu (黃德福), a KMT caucus whip in the legislature, said yesterday that political parties can talk among themselves and the president only needs to step in if there is a bottleneck in communications.
Huang Teh-fu said that as president of all the people, Chen should not interfere with DPP party affairs.
He also said he hoped that the offer to communicate better was not being used as a facade to hide the real goal of the DPP -- to drive a wedge between the opposition pan-blue alliance of the KMT and the PFP. Reports have said recently that the DPP will allow the PFP to place some of its officials in the new Cabinet.
Last night, the Executive Yuan decided that it would resign en masse on Jan. 24.
Speculation over the last couple of weeks has centered on the possibility of Chen naming a new premier and forming a coalition Cabinet with opposition parties.
Senior government officials, including Yu himself, have been tightlipped about the imminent Cabinet reshuffle.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS