President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the remarks at a press conference on the Marshall Islands, where he was attending a summit with leaders of the nation's six diplomatic allies in the Pacific.
"The tavern must be closed when the time comes," he said. "I will not only hand over the presidency but also the party chairmanship to president Hsieh. There is no doubt about it."
PHOTO: CNA
Chen, who announced his decision to accept the party chairmanship on Thursday, said yesterday he would not lead the government with the party's policy goals.
Echoing former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) comment that former presidents should not meddle in the affairs of the sitting president, Chen said he would not criticize Hsieh or tell him what to do after he leaves office. He added that he would exercise a sense of propriety and do what he said.
His second job is simple, he said, which is to unite the party, lead it in winning next year's legislative and presidential elections, and push for passage of the party's UN referendum proposal.
Chen said that next year's presidential election was different from the polls in 2000 and 2004 when the party had to contend with outside competition.
"Near year's election is a completely different ball game," Chen said. "The enemy lies within."
Chen said that the repercussions of the party's fierce presidential primary had caused a yawning chasm within the party, and the fracture must be mended or it would have a hard time winning.
It was a pity the party wasted much time over the past few months on idle spin, he said.
Chen called former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun irreplaceable, adding that it would be a pity if Yu did not participate in the election campaign. He promised to recruit talented people to the party, including his new special assistant who is Yu's former adviser.
Commenting on the DPP's referendum proposal of seeking UN membership under the name "Taiwan," Chen said that no force could stop the rising trend of Taiwan-centered consciousness, adding that this was critical to winning next year.
He said that pushing the referendum was a joint consensus with Hsieh, dismissing speculation that Hsieh was forced to bow to the president's will.
Chen said it was impossible for the two to be divided over the issue because it concerns national interest and Taiwan's sovereignty.
Emphasizing that Taiwan and China are two different nations, Chen said that using the name "Taiwan" to apply for UN membership is a good way to remove the stumbling block of "one China."
The administration should have done it a long time ago, he said.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS