The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday lauded Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and her team for successfully hosting the World Games, but lamented the absence of pan-blue politicians who flocked to the Beijing Olympic Games but ignored an important international sporting held in Taiwan.
Chen and her team, including three former mayors, had invested a lot of time and energy to secure the bid to host the games and prepare for them, the party said. Despite the lack of financial support from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, the team managed to pull off a “near perfect” event that won accolades from around the world, DPP Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said.
Chen said that in addition to the spectacular 11-day event, Chen should be credited for her painstaking efforts that resulted in President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) being able to open the games in his capacity as president of the Republic of China.
PHOTO: CNA
“What Chen did not only fully demonstrated the DPP's leadership ability, it also presented the best side of democracy. Most important, the world saw that Taiwan is a sovereign country and [has] a unique culture,” he said.
Cheng criticized the Chinese delegation for skipping the opening and closing ceremonies. This proved that Beijing's so-called “goodwill” toward Taiwan was far below Ma's expectation, he said.
“The most regrettable part was that Ma credited China — not Chen — for his opportunity to open the games. It is clear that he was completely oblivious to the fact that it was made possible by Chen and her team and not because of China's goodwill. If that was the case, the Chinese delegation would not have boycotted the opening and closing ceremonies,” he said.
Cheng added that the enthusiasm pan-blue politicians showed toward the Beijing Olympics far surpassed that for the World Games.
“Why was there such a disparity? Was it because Kaohsiung City is led by the DPP, so the pan-blues refused to support the World Games? We can't help but ask if these politicians love China more than they love Taiwan,” he said.
Ma yesterday again thanked Beijing for supporting the World Games.
Ma said it was the first time in 60 years that the head of the country had attended an international event and that it had a lot to do with Beijing's goodwill.
“Although they were absent at the opening and closing ceremonies, they supported the event,” he said. “I would like to point this out and thank them.”
Ma made the remarks while meeting members of the national team at the Presidential Office yesterday morning. It was the first time Ma had addressed the issue of China's boycott.
Local media speculated that the Chinese delegation boycotted the opening ceremony to avoid giving the impression that Beijing recognized Ma's status as president or Taiwan's status as a sovereign state.
Ma has hailed his opening of the games as a “breakthrough.”
Ma yesterday also thanked the International World Games Association for extending its goodwill, saying he was glad it agreed to let him attend the opening in his capacity as president.
The Taiwanese team won 34 medals at the World Games, including official and invitational events.
Attributing the success of the games to many factors, Ma said the efforts of the organizer, Chen and her predecessors, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) made him proud of Kaohsiung.
The NT$10 billion (US$312 million) funding from the Sports Affairs Council was also unprecedented in World Games history, Ma said.
Ma also acknowledged the 5,000 volunteers, law enforcement and security officers and National Police Administration staffers for maintaining order and security.
He encouraged local athletes to participate in international events and promised government support. To promote sports and exercises nationwide, Ma said his administration plans to build 70 sports centers and parks in three years, starting next year.
While Ma has been criticized for paying too much attention to such details as soldiers' physical condition, he said yesterday that his objective was simply to “build a healthy country.”
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS