Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for the party to make necessary changes so that the DPP would be able to embrace — and be accepted by — the emerging force of Taiwan’s civil society in the new year and beyond.
“We have to understand that it has come down to whether civil society will accept the DPP, rather than how the DPP is supposed to ‘lead’ civil society. Only with that in mind, and only with sincerity, can the DPP foster the public’s trust,” Tsai said in a press release issued by her office, in which she listed her new year’s resolution.
Tsai said that this year, the DPP would have to make choices on at least two important issues: its relations with civil society, which was the main driver of social and political change last year; and the party’s traditional political thinking and practices that somehow have prevented it from connecting with the public and the rapidly changing society.
Both issues would likely have profound impacts on the DPP’s future and the nation’s democratic development, she said.
The former presidential candidate appeared to be concerned with the disconnect between the DPP and civil society, as well as the public’s growing lack of trust in the party.
When civil groups took the leading role in social movements through street protests, the DPP should have begun re-examining its relations with the groups, which have always been the party’s close allies in the political arena, and deciding whether there is a new role for the party to play, she said.
One of the conventional practices under the principle of party politics was recruiting the best talent as members and making them candidates in the elections, Tsai said.
“With the unique political party structure and social atmosphere in Taiwan, the questions the DPP must answer are whether the old model is its only option and whether the party should be inclusive and tolerant so that it can collaborate with other opposition forces to break the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) domination of the political-economic structure,” she said.
Tsai appeared to be referring to the DPP’s current dilemma surrounding National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who wished to run in the Taipei mayoral election as an independent, but is mulling joining the DPP to consolidate pan-green camp voter support.
The DPP has insisted on nominating its own candidate for the election and has been reluctant to support Ko, who has been leading all other pan-green camp aspirants in most opinion polls, if Ko stayed as an independent.
“Insistence on dealing with the current social atmosphere with old-school thinking would be counterproductive. Without a complete change this year, the DPP will weed itself out of Taiwan’s political map,” Tsai said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard