Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday that he would continue to run an online campaign in support of convening a national affairs conference.
Former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) last week proposed that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) convene a national affairs conference to deal with the financially troubled public pension systems and the economy in general. The DPP’s Central Standing Committee also passed a resolution on Wednesday calling on Ma to hold a national affairs conference.
Ma rejected the idea, instead inviting Su and Tsai to join a “consultative meeting on state policy.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) told a press conference on Friday evening that Ma hoped to invite Su and Tsai to discuss issues at the Presidential Office, and whatever resulted from the discussion would be submitted to the Cabinet for reference, Fan Chiang said.
The president said he hoped the meeting could take place as soon as possible, Fan Chiang added.
Asked whether Ma will meet Su and Tsai individually or together, Fan Chiang said the details would be left up to Su and Tsai to decide.
However, both Tsai and Su have declined the invitation. Referring to an article published in the latest edition of the UK’s The Economist magazine titled “Ma the bumbler,” Su said the weekly was authoritative and that such a report damaged the image of the president as well as that of Taiwan.
“The public, including the DPP, would like more than anything to help Ma and the country improve at this point in time,” Su said, reiterating the need for a national affairs conference.
Separately yesterday, Tsai was also asked to respond to the article in The Economist, and said that she did not expect a president to be an all-around expert, but that he or she should be a leader able to guide the country in times of turmoil by engaging in dialogue with citizens. The president should guide society in facing and solving problems by engaging in dialogue, she added.
If Ma still thinks the issues facing Taiwan can be solved simply through meetings with opposition leaders, then he has forgotten that Taiwan is a democratic society in which public engagement in state affairs is crucial, Tsai said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS