Taiwan Quick Take: DPP ready to reflect

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is willing to listen to public criticism and reflect upon itself with an open mind, a DPP caucus whip said yesterday. Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) was responding to a recent poll conducted by a local newspaper showing that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) approval rating was hovering at around 26 percent, with about 50 percent of respondents casting doubt on the integrity of the Presidential Office in the wake of an ownership battle scandal for a Taipei department store allegedly involving an office aide and the first lady. Yeh said some news had been blown out of proportion by the media, in the wake of sensational "revelations" made by political figures and the media without providing any substantive evidence. For this reason, the poll -- conducted by the media -- can only be used as a reference, she said.