The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it hoped that a victory in the Jan. 26 legislative by-election in Greater Taichung would create momentum in the same way a by-election win lifted the party in 2009.
“This will be an important election to answer President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] on their non-response to the people’s voice,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said in Wurih District (烏日), Greater Taichung.
The party held its weekly Central Standing Committee in Taichung, with party heavyweights attending campaign activities to show support for candidate Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱).
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The by-election is to fill a post in the second electoral district left vacant by former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), whose status was revoked after he was found guilty of corruption.
The electoral district, a traditional KMT stronghold, includes the Greater Taichung districts of Shalu (沙鹿), Longjing (龍井), Wurih (烏日), Dadu (大肚), Wufeng (霧峰) and part of Dali (大里) and is home to about 220,000 voters.
Chen, 35, will be up against Yen’s son, the 36-year-old Yen Kuan-hen (顏寬恆), who was nominated by the KMT, in what will be a tough campaign, given that the DPP has historically trailed the KMT by 20 percent in the constituency, Su said.
Chen “is basically running against Yen Ching-piao,” whose family has dominated the local political scene for decades due to its close ties to the Dajia Cheng Lan Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮) and other local connections, a local campaigner said.
However, the DPP and Chen both said they believed he could win, because Ma and the KMT were unpopular because of their performance over the past year.
“We have reason to be optimistic, despite the many factors working against us, such as vote-buying,” deputy campaign manager Li Chin-hsiang (利錦祥) said.
A low turnout rate, which has often been the case in past by-elections, would likely benefit the KMT because it has more sophisticated grassroot networks, Li said.
However, a win is still within reach and the campaign hopes that a victory will inspire the DPP, Li said.
It could have the same impact as DPP Legislator Liu Chien-kuo’s (劉建國) maiden win in a legislative election in Yunlin County, which was regarded as the catalyst for the DPP’s comeback from its dark days after losing the 2008 presidential election in a landslide, Li said.
Liu’s win sparked a series of victories in local elections and then-DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) saw her popularity soar, going on to eventually become the party’s presidential candidate.
An upset win by Chen would be seen as the first step in Su’s call for the “four changes” of “changing policies, replacing the Cabinet, replacing the legislators and replacing the president.”
If Chen won, the DPP would pull even with the KMT in Greater Taichung, with both holding four of the eight legislative seats, former premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.
That was why Su and the DPP have been campaigning hard in the constituency. Su is scheduled to speak at five rallies and attend street canvassing activities this week.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of