Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association founder Robin Winkler yesterday announced his bid to run in the legislative election next year.
Born in the US, Winkler, 60, has lived in Taiwan for more than 30 years and is now a naturalized Republic of China citizen.
Winkler said the problems he sees in the economic, social and natural environments motivated him to run, adding that he believes politics is one of the best ways to make a contribution to society.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
A long-time environmentalist, he said that his main objective would be to push for strict implementation of the Basic Environmental Act (環境基本法), thereby helping the nation to become a nuclear-free homeland.
Calling himself a “relatively fortunate person throughout his life,” he said he would also like to address a range of social issues, including distribution of wealth, gender equality and Aboriginal rights.
He said the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民基本法) has been overlooked for a long time, which has caused Aborigines to receive unfair treatment.
Furthermore, he hopes to push forward an “open government” policy, as Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) did when he introduced the i-Voting system, to encourage civic participation in the government’s policymaking.
Winkler, a member of the Green Party Taiwan, said his bid for a legislative seat is in part due to a plan to help the party secure a seat at the legislature and obtain party votes, which translate into subsidies by the Central Election Commission.
He expects to be nominated as the Green Party’s candidate to run in the Shihlin-Beitou (士林,北投) constituency in Taipei this month.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators