The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday opened its first regional office in Hsinchu as it seeks to spread national roots after winning its first seats in the Jan. 16 legislative elections.
NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the party chose Hsinchu to open its first regional office, because it received the highest percentage of at-large legislative ballots from the city.
The office is to serve as a “civic platform” to help the party to cooperate with local residents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help spread its ideas and recruit new members, he said.
Huang said a second wave of offices is to be established in Taipei, Taichung and Hualien, followed by a third wave in Tainan and Kaohsiung, as the party seeks to put down roots and “blossom everywhere” in the nation.
Party officials would also embark on a tour of southern Taiwan next month to report on the party’s work in the Legislative Yuan and meet with supporters in Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung, he added.
Despite the party’s “pan-green” stance, the NPP grassroots operatives have been concentrated almost exclusively in the northern and central electoral districts, where it fielded candidates prior to the elections.
After winning five seats in the elections, the party said that it would concentrate the political party subsidies it receives on building a nationwide organization.
Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), the party’s former Hsinchu legislative candidate who is to head the local office, said that cooperating with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to provide services to voters would set it apart from ordinary party offices.
“What makes the NPP different is that we were originally organized by NGOs. Other than improving our local operation, we will also cooperate closely with NGOs,” he said, citing plans to provide free legal counsel in conjunction with the Judicial Reform Foundation, as well as plans to cooperate with Citizen Congress Watch to bring transparency to the local city council.
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