Veteran social activists intend to introduce a new center-left political party — the Social Democratic Party (SDP, 社會民主黨) — in next year’s legislative elections.
Led by National Taiwan University professor Fan Yun (范雲), the party is to officially announce its bid to enter the race by early next month.
“We differ from current prevailing methods of economic development, which often expect a certain industry to act as a ‘locomotive of growth’ for other sectors,” SDP founding member and potential legislative candidate Urda Yen (嚴婉玲) said, adding that the party supports the development of industries that address the current needs of society — such as long-term care for the elderly or clean energy generation.
Yen was previously spokesperson for the Economic Democracy Union, a group that originated in early campaigns against the cross-strait service trade agreement that preceded the Sunflower movement last year.
In terms of cross-strait issues, the SDP considers Taiwan an independent nation separate from China and would focus its platform on economic issues and social equality, Yen said.
Fan has been confirmed as a candidate for legislator next year, while Yen and National Chung Cheng University academic Chen Shang-chih (陳尚志) are considering candidacy, Yen said.
While Fan is likely to enter the race in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), Yen is considering running for legislator in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋).
The move would pit Yen against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) incumbent Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池), who spearheaded the KMT’s efforts last year to promote the trade pact.
Amid an explosion of candidates from minor parties for next year’s elections, the SDP is engaged in discussions with the environmental issue-based Green Party about a joint legislator-at-large nomination list, Yen said.
Although the SDP does not rule out cooperation with major parties — such as possible coordination with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to avoid nominating candidates in the same constituency — they are “most likely” to cooperate with the Green Party in terms of nominating joint candidates, she added.
The upcoming political party is to feature a rose — an international symbol for socialism — in its official emblem, Yen said.
The rose is to be rainbow-colored instead of solid red to illustrate the party’s roots in a diverse range of progressive social causes — including women’s rights, children’s rights, gay rights and media reform — instead of being strictly limited to left-wing labor movements, she added.
The party is set to be the second founded by members of the civic group Taiwan Citizen’s Union (TCU), after a separate group of TCU members launched the New Power Party less than a month ago.
In addition to the four major parties that hold seats in the national legislature, up to 10 minor parties — many with progressive or activist agendas — are planning to enter the race, which is scheduled for January next year.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
RSS