Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) challenged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) right after he took over the party leadership yesterday to mean business in his pledge to reform the party, particularly on the issues of "black gold" and vote-buying.
Su also challenged Ma to lead the KMT into what he described as "benevolent competition" with the DPP during the year-end elections of county magistrates and mayors.
During a stumping tour of Taoyuan in northern Taiwan, Su advised Ma to shed his "teflon" image if he wants to wean his party off the so-called "black gold" or money politics and vote-buying.
Su said he understands Ma's ambition to lead the KMT to win back power in the 2008 presidential election, but the DPP will do its utmost to get good grades on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration, an achievement that he claimed will ensure the DPP continues as the ruling party.
William Lai (
According to Lai, Ma spent much of his speech attacking the president and his administrative record as if he was delivering a campaign speech in 2008.
"Loud criticism of the DPP does not mean the KMT will improve, as that requires concrete strategies," Lai said.
He also ridiculed Ma for "copying what Lien Chan (
Cheng Chen-lung (程振隆), secretary-general of the pro-independence opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), said that if Ma wants the "pan-blue alliance" to take power in 2008, he must deal with the baggage of the party's ill-gotten assets, return the party to the middle ground and respect the people's right to choose between unification and independence.
Ma's anti-Taiwan independence remarks show that he does not respect the people, he claimed, adding that Ma should agree to allow the people a free choice between unification with China and Taiwan independence.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS