The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to take over a key position at the National Fishermen’s Association (NFA) from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), a source said yesterday.
DPP-nominated Hsu Te-hsiang (許德祥), a former president of the Taiwan Provincial Fishermen’s Association (TPFA) — now the NFA — is expected to be elected NFA president tomorrow, an unnamed source from the DPP said.
Local-level elections were held on March 18 and April 14 to choose the presidents and general managers of the nation’s 39 fishermen’s associations as well as 86 national representatives.
The DPP failed to gain control of farmers’ associations in February’s elections, but the party might gain some ground at the NFA tomorrow, when the association’s national assembly elects 19 directors and five managers, with 25 director candidates and six manager candidates, including Hsu, standing for election.
NFA president Huang Yi-cheng (黃一成) of the KMT is to step down after completing his term and the DPP has negotiated with former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) to have Hsu elected as NFA president, while NFA general manager Lin Chi-tsang (林啟滄), a close aide to Chang, would serve another term, the source said.
While Hsu’s election would see a coalition of the KMT and the DPP ruling the NFA, the “Chang system” would ensure the KMT’s control of the NFA, because although the NFA president represents the association, convenes meetings of directors and appoints the general manager, the general manager has the authority to appoint NFA staff and runs the association, the source said.
Hsu was named a legislator-at-large by the DPP in 2006 to fill the vacancy left by former DPP legislator-at-large Lin Choi-shui (林濁水).
Hsu has close ties with the fishery industry, as he has served as director and president of the Donggang District Fishermen’s Association in Pingtung; director of the Overseas Fisheries Development Council; director of Taiwan Fisheries and Marine Technology Consultants; director of the Taiwan Fisheries Association; and is a member of the Marine Disaster Relief Fund Committee.
Hsu ran for TPFA president during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) term, marking the first competition between the KMT and the DPP at the association.
Hsu was elected twice, serving as TPFA president for eight years.
Compared with farmers’ associations elections, fishermen’s associations elections are less complex, and except for the fishermen’s associations of Chiayi, Jhongli, Hualien and Hengchun, where competition is fierce, this year’s local-level elections went smoothly, with most officials being re-elected.
The KMT enjoys greater support at fishermen’s associations, but the fishery industry “has prioritized general interests over ideology” and is only concerned with electing people capable of developing and representing the industry, the source said.
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