Former premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday announced the establishment of a foundation aimed at seeking a “way out” for Taiwan and linking Taiwanese youths with the international community.
He denied that the move was a precursor to staging a political comeback.
With Jiang as president, the newly founded Fair Winds Foundation’s board of directors includes many former Cabinet members of former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, including former minister of Mainland Affairs Council Andrew Hsia (夏立言), former minister of National Development Council Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔), former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) and former minister of transportation and communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時), who is also the chief executive officer.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“After resigning as premier in December 2014, I went to the US as a visiting scholar before taking on a teaching job in Hong Kong last year. Spending two years abroad allowed me to look at what happened in Taiwan from an appropriate distance,” Jiang said in his speech.
Jiang said his heart had been wrenched by the constant internal friction at home, which prompted him to approach a group of like-minded individuals to jointly roll up their sleeves and do something to change the situation.
Reiterating that the foundation is not a personal platform, Jiang said it is an organization through which he intends to work with other organizations and link young people with the international community.
He said he plans to achieve the goals through policy research, large-scale speeches, forums and international student camps.
This year’s events include a forum on Feb. 19 in Taipei where Kuan and four young people are to talk about Taiwan’s future, and in April a speech by US political scientist Francis Fukuyama on democratic governance.
“Former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) is also due to give a speech to share his experiences as one of Taiwan’s economic pioneers and talk about future economic situations across the Taiwan Strait,” Jiang said.
The exact time and content of Siew’s speech are still being discussed, he said.
The foundation’s establishment came as major political parties are gearing up for the local election next year, sparking speculation that Jiang is seeking a political comeback and might join the race.
“It has nothing to do with elections. We merely want to do something based on our shared ideals,” Jiang said, adding that vying for political office is not the only way to serve the community.
Jiang also denied he had consulted with or sought the opinions of Ma and former National Security Council secretary-general King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) about setting up the foundation.
Asked why Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was the only political figure attending the founding ceremony, Jiang said he did not invite Ma, former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) or any leaders of political parties due to the foundation’s cultural and educational nature and limited seating at the ceremony.
“Hau volunteered to come after hearing about news of the foundation’s establishment,” Jiang added.
Hau and Wu are contenders in the KMT’s next chairmanship election on May 20.
The navy’s new 10,600-tonne warship is on Tuesday to be christened the ROCN Yushan (玉山), as the nation’s indigenous shipbuilding program reaches a milestone, sources said yesterday. The vessel, previously referred to as the “new landing platform dock,” was at a shipyard with its name freshly painted on the hull with the number 1401, the Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) reported yesterday, citing an unnamed observer. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), a member of the legislature’s National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, confirmed the report in a Facebook post. The NT$4.635 billion (US$163 million) ship is designed
DIALOGUE SOUGHT: Washington said it was concerned about the pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate Taiwan after the 10th day of PLA activity in the region The US on Monday urged Beijing to stop its multifaceted pressure campaign against Taiwan after China sent 25 military jets into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. “The United States notes with concern the pattern of ongoing PRC [People’s Republic of China] attempts to intimidate the region, including Taiwan,” a US Department of State spokesperson said in an e-mail response to questions. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.” The Ministry of National Defense said that 25 Chinese military aircraft entered the zone on Monday. It was the 10th straight
INTERNATIONAL WEED DAY: Advocates are to hold a demonstration to push for the decriminalization of marijuana and allowing its use for treatment of certain conditions It is time for Taiwanese society to examine the medical benefits of cannabis, in line with the international trend to lift restrictions on and decriminalize the use of marijuana, two legislators said yesterday, ahead of tomorrow’s “Rally for Equal Rights for Cannabis” in Taipei. Taiwan is one of a few countries holding a “420 International Weed Day” event — which usually takes place around the April 20 weekend — as most nations have canceled it this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizer Green Sensation, which is composed of doctors, lawyers and entertainers, among others. The group released a
‘NOT ENTHUSIASTIC’: People who have been approved by the CECC as special cases who need to travel, such as foreign diplomats, would be able to receive a vaccine The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to the fourth priority group — people who need to travel abroad for special reasons — adding that out-of-pocket vaccines would be available from Wednesday next week. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said although Taiwan’s COVID-19 vaccination program was on Monday expanded to include the top three groups in the priority list, people are still “not enthusiastic” about getting vaccinated. “Only 1,220 people received a vaccine shot on Tuesday, and a total of 27,113 people have received COVID-19 vaccination” so far, he