The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would have an opportunity to “turn the tables” on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in the seven-in-one elections next year, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday as the party celebrated its 27th anniversary in Greater Taichung.
“The DPP wants more than to just win in central Taiwan. We aim to win in all constituencies in mayoral, township chief and councilor elections,” Su told supporters at the anniversary celebration ceremony, which was held at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Greater Taichung.
The party has high hopes for achieving electoral success in the central Taiwan constituencies of Taichung, Nantou County and Changhua County, which was why it held a four-day celebration in the region, considered to be a battleground that could ultimately determine the outcome of the municipal elections next year.
Photo: Liao Yau-tung, Taipei Times
Many have started to question the KMT’s governance in the region, with corruption scandals revealed in Nantou and Changhua counties, Su said.
Former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) described next year’s elections as “critical moments” for the DPP to help society move forward and save the nation from the Ma administration’s poor governance and abuse of power, as well as a backsliding democracy.
“What happened in Dapu Borough (大埔), Miaoli County and the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), taught us that the current administration is no longer able to handle issues involving the public’s core values,” Tsai said.
The party, established on Sept. 28, 1986, sought to highlight its history and its promotion of the anti-nuclear movement with exhibitions near the ceremony.
Hundreds of supporters attended the ceremony, which included musical performances by local groups and a carnival with about 100 food stalls.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all