Shrugging off the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) regulations that prohibit members from campaigning for other parties' candidates, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The Soong biography, entitled Ninety Percent Secret, documents his experience as Taiwan provincial governor when he enjoyed a public support rate of more than 90 percent. The book is seen as a warm-up to Soong's formal declaration of his candidacy for the Taipei mayoral post no later than next month.
Speaking at the book presentation, Wang lauded Soong's leadership and efforts to understand the public's need by visiting all cities and counties around the country when he served as Taiwan provincial governor.
"Chairman Soong is an affectionate, righteous and reasonable leader ... He is more capable than many politicians," Wang said at the event, which was held at Taipei Youth Activity Center.
Wang also complimented Soong's recent efforts to visit all districts in Taipei to address the need of the city's residents.
"I believe he will respond to the residents' problems with the best solutions ... I will say no more," he said.
Wang's support for Soong came in the face of the KMT's new regulations banning members from attending any campaign events held by opposition candidates in the year-end Kaohsiung and Taipei mayoral and city councilor elections.
Given that no KMT member would campaign for pan-green camp candidates, PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (
Soong yesterday joked about the KMT's campaign ban, saying his aides had reminded him not to make any announcement regarding the election at the ceremony "in case the announcement makes things difficult for speaker Wang."
Expressing his desire to "serve the residents of Taipei," Soong added that he would take advantage of his experience as provincial governor, to "rediscover the nation's core values."
"The purpose of politics is to serve the people ... We need to find the basic values of a democratic society, which is that the people are the king," he said.
Soong criticized the Taipei City Government's lack of resolution and passivity in building Taipei into an international city. He then invited the media to accompany him on a tour of inspection of various municipal constructions around the city and listen to his proposed solutions.
Also present at the event was Independent Legislator Li Ao (
"If such an unfair situation can't be changed and people do not support candidates based on their political achievements, then it's not worth it for Chairman Soong to join the election," he said.
Claiming Soong's political achievements should be graded a hundred percent, rather than 90 percent, Li urged pan-blue supporters to "break the Hau Lung-bin spell" and support Soong instead.
The book chronicling Soong's service as provincial governor was written by Ma Xi-ping (馬西屏), who has also authored books on former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Wang said that he would buy 1,000 copies and send them to family and friends.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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