Returning to Taiwan from the US yesterday morning, former Dem-ocratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉) said he had come back to help the party "restore its former glory."
Speaking to the press at the arrival hall of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Luo said he had returned to team up with those who love the DPP but had chosen to remain silent and prevent the party from being overwhelmed by "anti-reform voices."
He did not elaborate but said he would begin work after the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections this Saturday.
"The DPP is a reformist party. It is a progressive party. It is also a party with a sense of glory," Luo said. "People should not give up their expectations of the party without first working hard to achieve its goals."
Luo said that during a period of short-term study in the US over the past year, he had felt the increasing pressure on Taiwan resulting from China's growing international influence.
Luo said he wanted to do something to address this threat.
He went on to urge DPP members to watch the video clips of his speech given at Boston University last week.
Noting that some have exaggerated his remarks, Luo said he hoped that the video clips would clarify what he really said in the speech.
Luo, who used to be considered a protege of President Chen Shui-bian (
Luo's comments drew strong criticism from DPP members.
"[Hereafter] if I have to speak, I will confine my comments to the matter at issue or I will just be silent," he said yesterday, adding that he did not aim to criticize anyone during the speech, including Chen.
What really harmed the party's image was, Luo said, "rash judgments made by fellow DPP mem-bers based on the one-minute news coverage [they saw] of the speech."
DPP Legislator Lin Chung-mo (
DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
World United Formosans for Independence Chairman Ng Chiau-tong (
Alice King (
Additional reporting by Fang Cheng-hsiang
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