The “disappearance” from the public eye of Peoples First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) running mate, Lin Ruey-shiung (林瑞雄), since Tuesday stems from efforts by the party to give Lin a crash course on the political set-up of the PFP, sources said.
With barely 24 hours between being declared Soong’s potential running mate and his first press conference, Lin’s casual dress and rigid answers on political issues at the press conference raised doubts over his political acumen.
This showed that Lin needed a crash course on political issues, the sources said, pointing to his bungled response to a question on whether he would participate in the election even if Soong failed to collect 1 million signatures as he vowed to do in order to join the presidential race.
Internet screen grab
Although Soong chose to remain vague on the matter, Lin took over the microphone and said that if those signatures were not obtained, he would not participate in the election.
PFP officials said on Saturday that aside from managing some personal matters and applying to give up his US citizenship, Lin needed some time to compose himself.
The political arena is foreign to him, PFP officials said.
“He’s suddenly on the election frontline and he doesn’t know what to say,” the officials said. “If he says the wrong thing, then it’s even worse.”
PFP spokesman Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) also said on Saturday that for the past two days Lin was taking in a lot of information, including what is said in newspapers, understanding the content of Soong’s recent talks, the ideals of the PFP, the “Second Silent Revolution” thought pattern and the “insides” of the political world.
All of this will prepare him for future talks in public and with the media, Wu said.
The “Second Silent Revolution” is a concept brought up by Soong that calls for thorough reforms to the system of democratic governance adopted by Taiwan.
PFP spokesperson Lee Tung-hao (李桐豪) said Lin has been on the move for the past two days, getting pictures taken for the campaign ads, visiting party headquarters, as well as showing up at some small events to explain his views on Taiwan’s future and development.
With limited campaign resources and because Soong wanted a different kind of election, the PFP’s election campaign would not be the same as before, Wu said, adding that they would not necessarily flight commercial film ads or distribute pamphlets.
“We will look for the proper time to share our ideals with the public and we will try to have in-depth dialogue with the various sectors, through petition-signing events and other talks and policy-explanation events, before Lin and Soong register as candidates,” Wu said.
“The PFP does not have the money to hold campaign events and even if we did, we would not,” Wu said.
Netizen supporters of Soong have placed his profile picture over the original face on the Seediq Bale promotional poster, hoping to spread word of Soong’s petition efforts.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS