Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), responding to veteran political activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) remarks targeting the party on Friday, yesterday said that the idea of maintaining the “status quo” does not contradict the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future in the DPP charter.
Lin said that Tsai’s “maintaining the ‘status quo’” is a mystery to him, asking whether it is so hard to follow the DPP’s charter on this issue.
In response, Tsai said that the basic idea of “maintaining the ‘status quo’” is calling for open, transparent and fairer dealings in cross-strait affairs and public participation in policies, which are “not inconsistent” with the resolution.
Photo: Chen Hui-ping, Taipei Times
Tsai said that maintaining the “status quo,” as she has repeatedly said, is to maintain a peaceful Taiwan Strait and the stable development of cross-strait relations.
Various surveys have shown that the idea has the support of an absolute majority among Taiwanese, and could be a foundation for Taiwanese solidarity and keeping the Taiwan Strait peaceful, giving Taiwanese the time and energy to carry out internal reforms, she said.
Lin also spoke about the DPP having yielded just 13 electoral districts to rising, so-called “third political forces.”
Tsai responded that she would hope a candidate who is most likely to win would emerge from the process of nominations, mediation and integration with the smaller parties.
Tsai said she could empathize with Lin’s concerns, adding that she believes that no one cares more than she does about whether the legislature and its agenda are to be dominated by progressive forces after the next election.
“The candidates do not have to be DPP-nominated,” she said.
Referring to the relationship the DPP developed with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in his campaign last year, Tsai said: “[The party] would have relative flexibility in the legislative election as well.”
“However, mediated integration must be quick,” Tsai said, adding that as many of the candidates of the third force are first-timers, they might need a longer period of preparation.
Tsai said that the DPP must also take its supporters’ feelings into account, and since the DPP is a democratic organization, the chairperson is not the one to have the final say on nominations, which should abide by the party’s system and mechanism, with participation from supporters.
Only when the process has been completed will supporters be ready to back the candidates of the third political force who emerge from the integration, she added.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be