Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) resigned as party chairman yesterday, pending the approval of the party's Central Executive Committee, which is to call a meeting today to discuss the matter.
Another meeting will also be called to examine the party's recent election defeats. Recommendations will be presented to a provisional National Congress, the date of which will be decided by the Central Executive Committee today.
Also on the National Congress' agenda is amending the party charter and election rules for party officials.
PHOTO: WALLY SANTANA, AP
DPP Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) told reporters after yesterday's Central Standing Committee meeting that committee members resolved to ask Hsieh to assist the party with its soul-searching and reform program until a new party leader is elected on May 25.
Lee refused to describe the resolution as an attempt to ask Hsieh to stay, saying Hsieh had made it clear that he would not stand in the party chairman election or any race for public office.
Lee said he did not know whether Hsieh would accept the committee's request, but one thing was clear: Hsieh would not accept the offer "if its sole purpose was to get him to stay."
The committee's request came in response to a petition initiated by DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (
Hsieh's resignation came on the heels of the DPP's defeat in Saturday's election. It is customary in the DPP for the party chairman to bear responsibility for an election loss by resigning.
Hsieh succeeded President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as party chairman following the DPP's losses in the legislative elections in January.
Saying the party must fully examine its three recent election losses, Hsieh yesterday proposed during the Central Standing Committee meeting that first, the party must assess its position and realize that it is about to become an opposition that "has nothing at all."
"The people do not have the obligation to support the DPP," he said. "If we do not implement a thorough reform, it is possible that we will dissolve in the near future."
Secondly, Hsieh said that the party must solicit more young members and let them participate in the party's reform program and decision-making process.
Thirdly, Hsieh proposed holding a temporary National Congress meeting to let party representatives voice their opinions and discuss the party's future and its course. The party should amend its charter and election rules so younger members can elect the next leader in May, he said.
Finally, Hsieh urged the party to serve as a check on the power of the ruling party, but they should help the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) implement good policies, he said.
He also called on president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (
Meanwhile, Hsieh and Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (
Hsieh said he did not meet former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (
Shih claimed that Hsieh's campaign agreed to force Chen to step down in an attempt to salvage the DPP's election.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS