A group of pro-localization organizations yesterday called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to nominate the strongest candidate for the pan-green camp for this year’s Taipei mayoral election, possibly suggesting they support independent aspirant Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been leading the pan-green camp hopefuls in several public opinion poll conducted by media outlets.
At a press conference held in Taipei yesterday, Taiwan Society President Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) said the DPP has been following party regulations which stipulate that an aspirant has to be a party member before they can be recruited by the party to run in the election.
“All these rules can be changed,” Chang said, calling on the DPP to have a “tolerant heart.”
The reason Ko is leading in most polls is that the public wants change, Eastern Taiwan Society president Winston Yu (余文儀) said.
Former Taiwan Society President Wu Shu-min (吳樹民) added that the groups are not outrightly recommending Ko, but simply hope the DPP would engage in introspection.
The groups suggested that the party postpone its nomination process to name its Taipei mayoral candidate until the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announces its candidate.
The groups also suggested the party conduct a national opinion poll on all pan-green camp Taipei mayoral aspirants.
Under the group’s proposal, the opinions of Taipei residents would account for 70 percent of the result and the views of the rest of the nation would account for 30 percent.
Whoever won the poll would be named the candidate.
Separately yesterday, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) tried to garner support for her bid to be named the DPP’s candidate by holding a ceremony in Daan Forest Park to launch her official campaign support groups.
Attended by more than 1,000 supporters, including the wardens of ten boroughs, Lu said that Taipei has witnessed numerous fiascoes stemming from the successive administrations of former mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) who she called the Taizidang (太子黨) or Princelings Party.
Lu promised that if she were elected as Taipei mayor, she would purge the city hall of “the princelings’ filth.”
When asked about her potential rival, Ko, director of National Taiwan University Hospital’s department of traumatology, Lu said: “[If] a savior says to you he would unite non-partisan parties into a great alliance and asks you to turn Taipei over to him; if ever there were such a person, he should have joined us after the Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件), shouldn’t he?”
The Kaohsiung Incident occurred on Dec. 10, 1979, when the then-KMT government imprisoned participants of an anti-government parade.
Lu was jailed for her role in the human rights rally.
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
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS