Celebrity-turned-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician Yu Tian (余天) yesterday said that his wife, Lee Ya-ping (李亞萍), was “not wrong” when she said that she despises certain DPP officials.
At a charitable event in Kaohsiung on Friday, Lee told media that the DPP has “ruined” her family and she “despise[s] certain people in the DPP” for being “ungrateful” to her husband.
Yu has made substantial sacrifices for the DPP, including selling five houses to raise campaign funds, Lee said.
Photo: Ho Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Lee said she is unhappy that their daughter, Yu Hsiao-ping (余筱萍), did not win the party’s nomination as a Taipei city councilor candidate for the Nov. 24 local elections.
Since the loss, the family has faced numerous economic and health-related hardships, Lee said, adding that her son, Ken Yu (余祥銓), has slipped into a depression and she herself has had a spate of asthma attacks.
Yu yesterday was the sole contender for the position of DPP New Taipei City chapter convener and appeared at a school in Yonghe District (永和), where the election was being held.
When asked to comment on his wife’s remarks, Yu said: “She was not wrong in saying that.”
“I joined the party because I thought that the DPP was very democratic and I should do it for the good of Taiwan, but later, I realized that the DPP is chock full of cliques and factions, and they are fighting all the time and I am not in any of them,” he said.
Yu Tian denied that Lee meant to single out any DPP member for criticism.
“Women have got to complain,” he said. “It is just as well, the family has enough depression and bipolar cases.”
He said he spent NT$20 million (US$667,891 at the current exchange rate) of his own money on political campaigns over his 2008 to 2012 legislative career without asking the party for any aid or salary for party positions.
He did not want to run for any party positions this year, but feels an obligation to contribute to the DPP’s mayoral and councilor campaign for New Taipei City, he said.
Yu Tian said he is “despondent” about Yu Shiao-ping’s loss, adding that she would never run again.
Additional reporting by Su Fang-ho
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or