Green Party Taiwan calls for support

The Green Party Taiwan called for public support yesterday for the three candidates whom it has nominated for the year-end Taipei City Council election.

The three candidates yesterday received a collective endorsement from other environment advocacy groups.

"The difference between candidates from the Green Party and those of other parties is that they are essentially doing the same thing -- whether or not they are elected," said Robin Winkler, chairman of Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association.

Winkler added that the candidates' participation will bring different perspectives and ideas to Taiwan's political scene.

Liao Pen-chuan (廖本全), representative from the Taiwan Academy of Ecology, said the so-called "third force" -- a term recently created by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- should not refer to a recombination of politicians and power.

"Rather, it should refer to all those who recognize and show concern for the land and the people in Taiwan," Liao said, adding that more people need to rise up to jointly protect the environment.

Liao, who said that politicians nowadays are "all the same," added that the country needs a new kind of candidates.

Representing the Homemakers' Union and Foundation, chairman Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said that campaigning is a grueling task and that expenses are enormous. Consolidating the efforts from different environment advocacy groups would therefore help relieve the burden, she said.

While all three candidates represent the Green Party, each is concerned with different environmental issues.

Chang Hung-lin's (張宏林) campaign focuses on the protection of mountains and forests, whereas Chang Yu-wen (張聿文) has been campaigning against the construction of cable cars in the Beitou District.

Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲), meanwhile, is expected to apply his expertise on "green investment analysis" while advocating for environmental issues.

Activist Linda Gail Arrigo, also a member of the Green Party's Central Executive Committee, said the party's candidates running for office this year possess backgrounds and qualifications that have been lacking in environmental protection groups.

"Supporting these candidates will give the Green Party an opportunity to supervise both the pan-blue and pan-green camps," Arrigo said.