The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday asked Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to investigate KMT candidates embroiled in alleged scandals, and to pull them out of next week's election if the allegations are proven true.
"We're glad to hear that Chairman Ma wants to follow in our footsteps and set up a `clean government commission,' but at the same time we are worried that his pledges of reform will merely serve as a trick to deceive voters," DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said.
If the KMT truly wants to establish such an entity, Lai said they should not have blocked an organic bill of a clean government bureau, which would have been established under the Ministry of Justice, and the confirmation of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Call on Ma
Lai called on Ma, once the KMT's "clean government commission" has been established, to apply the same high moral standards as adopted by the DPP and strip its corrupt candidates of their party membership and ask them to withdraw from the election.
The DPP's "clean government commission" has expelled former deputy secretary-general to the Presidential Office Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), former director of the Kaohsiung Bureau of Rapid Transit Systems Chou Li-liang (周禮良) and Fan Lai-chin (方來進), director of the Kaohsiung City Government's Bureau of Labor Affairs, since the eruption of the recent Kaoshiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal.
Questionable
Lai said those questionable KMT candidates include Cho Po-yuan (
Cho is alleged to have engaged in illegal lobbying and taking kickbacks in the purchase of a railroad machine parts and freeway electronic toll collection system. Huang allegedly has issued over 100 permits to allow illegal video gambling arcades to operate in the county.
Lai also demanded that Ma apologize to the public for lying to farmers about their increased monthly pension and that he promise not to make the same mistake again.
Ma reportedly told older farmers in Changhua County last Wednesday that the increase in farmers' monthly pension was proposed by the KMT but opposed by the DPP.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
"Ma simply told a an out-and-out lie. Just looking back at the history of elections, the KMT has been the political party that practiced vote-buying most," Su said.
He said that the election is an opportunity to test whether Ma's image of integrity is genuine.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS