Sunflower movement leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) yesterday made taunting remarks about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), drawing criticism from DPP politicians.
“One party could win the Tainan mayoral election next year even if its candidate is a watermelon,” Lin said, commenting on the city’s established political landscape.
Tainan is regarded as a DPP stronghold; its mayor, William Lai (賴清德) of the DPP, in 2014 won a second term by a landslide and is slated to step down next year after eight years at the helm.
Photo: Chiu Hao-tang, Taipei Times
Several DPP lawmakers from Tainan constituencies have expressed their intentions to run in next year’s mayoral election.
Speaking yesterday at the opening of the New Power Party’s (NPP) Tainan headquarters, Lin said: “As people in Tainan are unusually conservative in politics, the DPP could win the mayoral election next year even if it promotes a watermelon as its candidate.”
As for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), its members could do no more than teach Hoklo language (commonly known as Taiwanese) or don traditional costumes, which was “really upsetting,” Lin said in a jab at KMT Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介).
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said that Lin’s comments were contemptuous and humiliating to Tainan residents.
The party’s procedure for primaries in the run-up to the mayoral election is strict, he added, questioning whether the NPP’s candidate selection would not be achieved through backroom deals.
Lai said Tainan was also dubbed a "holy land for democracy" and this reputation was the result of hard work by many of his political predecessors, which the younger generations should respect.
DPP lawmakers Yeh Yi-chin (葉宜津) and Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) also said support for the DPP’s ideals in Tainan was a result of the collective hard work put in by “democracy fighters.”
Former deputy Tainan mayor Yen Chun-tso (顏純左), now director of the DPP’s Tainan chapter, said he hoped Lin Fei-fan’s comments were nothing more than a slip of the tongue.
Netizens were not so lenient toward Lin Fei-fan’s remarks, with some writing that "social movements were like stepping stones for Lin," while others said Lin himself could be described as a cucumber — delicate and fragile.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS